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9 LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. H 

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| UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, f 






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USSa?-**.^"* HO \.\ L >• NU » 



PALANKEEN TRAVELLING. 



GLANCE BACKWARD 



AT 



FIFTEEN YEARS OF MISSIONARY LIFE 



IN 



NORTH INDIA. 



BY THE 



Rev. JOSEPH' WARREN, D. D. 

3W. sty 





PHILADELPHIA: 



PRESBYTERIAN BOARD OF PUBLICATION, 

No. 265 Chests ut Street. 

1856. • 



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Entered according to the Act of Congress, in the year 1856, by 

JAMES DUNLAP, Treas. 

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the Eastern 
District of Pennsylvania. 



NOTE. 



SOUNDS OF LETTERS IN HINDUSTANI WORDS, 

u in butter. 

a in father. 

ch in church. 

ai in pain. 

g in good. 

i in pin. 

ee in seen. 

o in note. 
Q, q, has the sound of k thrown back in the throat, 
IT, u, sounds like u in pull. 
U', u, " " oo in fool. 

Ai, " " i in /ke. 

Au, " " ow in no^. 

N. B. Some consonants have peculiar sounds, which cannot 
be imitated by mere readers, and it has not been thought worth 
while to mention them. Names of places, which have obtained 
a current orthography in English, have been written accord- 
ingly here, however incorrect. For instance Benares, correctly 
written, would be Banaras, in three syllables. 



A, a, 


sounds 


like 


A , a, 


a 


« 


Ch, 


« 


n 


E, e, 


a 


it 


G, g, 


a 


a 


I, if 


it 


a 


iVi, 


ti 


a 


0, o 


it 


a 



ERKATA. 



Page 47, line 12, for swarz read swarg. 

Page 59, line 3 from bottom, for found read formed. 

Page 60, line 4, &c, for Tcauda read kanda. 

Page 71, line 18, for might had, read might have had. 

Page 78, line 5 from bottom, for Bez read 2?e#. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 

INTRODUCTORY. 

Time of sailing. The party of missionaries. Notice of Mrs. 
Scott and Mrs. Freeman. Plan and object of this work.. . .13 — 15 

CHAPTER II. 

HOUSE-KEEPING AND LEARNING THE LANGUAGES. 

Commencement of house-keeping. Description of a Bungalow: 
floors, ceiling, walls. Kitchen. Servants, why so many. The 
water-carrier. Ignorance of the language. Our new house and 
furniture. The carpets. The carpenter: his tools and his caste. 
Another carpenter, and Br&hmanical extortion. The theft. The 
charge of burglary. First lessons in Hindustani. History of 
Patthras. My Munshis and studies. Hinderances. The marriage 
of missionaries * 16 — 43 

CHAPTER III. 

THE PRINTING-HOUSE. 

Reasons of my accepting and leaving it. Proposed Press at 
Benares taken over. Increase of printing. Language and dia- 
lects. The alphabets used. Native characters unfit for printing. 
A specimen of spelling. The Roman alphabet. Comparative 
expense of alphabets. Commencement of the establishment. The 
first thing printed. The Persian compositor. The first job-work. 
Difficulties. Some Mohammedans turn Christian in order to drink. 
Another bad professed convert. History of Dillii. Native evasion. 
Building a printing-house. How lime is made and cheating done. 
The room for preaching. The depository. White ants. Additions 
to the establishment. Early works printed. The type-foundry. 
Effect of the Press. Orphan asylum and bindery. The new print- 
ing house. Job-work, Reasons for doing it 43 — 72 



X CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER IV. 

CATECHISTS: THEIR TRAINING, CHARACTER AND USEFULNESS. 

Importance of native helpers. Limited choice of them. Common 
mode of training. System adopted by the Synod. Success only 
partial. A Seminary necessary. Usefulness of Catechists. Their 
difficulties. Catechists as literary assistants. Their location at 
sub-stations. Account of a fall and recovery. The young Afgan. 
Another Catechist. Singular history of another. Hari Das : the 
murder of a lord; the effect of long habit. A sad and a pleasant 
history connected. Remarks on what we ought to expect... 72 — 96 

CHAPTER V. 

CHURCH BUILDINGS, AND PREACHING AT THE STATIONS. 

Necessity of places of worship. Purchase of mission-house, and 
settlement of orphan asylums. The old mint. The English congre- 
gation, and their church edifice. Their removal to Agra. Building 
of the mission church. The chapel near the printing-house. The 
Chauk and its chapel. The Musalmani convert, and the chapel at 
Kyd Ganj. English services. Hindustani services. Christian 
musicians. Preaching to the heathen: hinderances and helps; 
street preaching ; interruptions; specimens of disputes; the lying 
objector; Sunni and Shia differences; insults; two villages near 
Allahabad ; preaching at ghats ; to women ; bathing ; preaching at 
the Chauk chapel; preaching in surrounding villages ; preaching 
on horseback; the woman carrying her husband's ashes; preaching 
at fairs; that of 1847 at Allahabad; services; visitors; the swing- 
ing faqir; the Sanyari dinner party; inquirers; a trick; fair of 
1850; hidden ones; scientific inquiries; decline of fairs; convert 
at Jubbulpore; Hardwar fair in 1853; the blessed foot-print near 
Agra; singular objection and dispute; another foot-print at Alla- 
habad. Preaching to oriental Christians at Agra. Distant influence 
of Nestorian missions. Visitors at our houses. 97 — 146 



CHAPTER VI. 

ITINERATIONS. 

The cool season. Accommodations for travellers in India: few 
hotels; dak bungalows ; the Sara. One effect of caste. Mode of 
using tents. Preaching in rural villages. Various incidents of 
travel: the converted gentleman; the Brahman at the bathing- 
place; the worn out pilgrim; the Hindu cupid; the flooded tent; 



CONTENTS. XI 

the naked faqlr; sad news; the Mohammedan saint on a tamarind 
stump; Hindus regard Sunday; a Musalman disputant; the city of 
Moses; a new goddess; taste as to the fine arts; levity of the 
Hindus; worship of the cow; a burnt village. Journey in the Hini- 
malayd; a dishonest man; temples and worship; covetousness ; 
desecration of a god; T&tar architecture; the R&na of Balsan and 
his territory. More itinerating necessary. The field and the 
work 147—177 



CHAPTER VII. 

THE PREPARATION OF BOOKS FOR THE PRESS. 

Time that may be spent in writing. The Scriptures. Necessity 
of literary labour. Destitution of good literature. Erroneous and 
corrupt books. Want of reliable history. Missionaries must aid in 
supplying the want. A Hindu theory of winds and storms. Mo- 
hammedan conceit and vanity. Mohammedan objections to New 
Testament. A strange map of the world. Character of their 
poetry and fiction. Works produced by Allahabad mission. The 
Lodiana mission. My own works. Difficulties in translating. The 
kind of men needed in India. Thoughts for the Church.. 17 8— 188 



CHAPTER VIII. 

RELATIONS WITH EUROPEANS AND EAST INDIANS, AND THEIR 
INFLUENCE ON OUR WORK. 

What constitutes a gentleman. An Anglo-Indian custom. Social 
standing of Missionary families. Ignorance of some parties. Con- 
sequent unfairness. Devout persons; their kindness to missiona- 
ries. Missionary influence on society. Chaplains. Church of 
England dignitaries. State of religion amongst the English. Pres- 
byterian church at Agra; its singular relations and their conse- 
quences: its new house of worship. English aid to the Christian 
press. The Tract and Book Society. Agra Bible Society. The 
Papists at Agra. Female day-schools at Allahabad and Agra. 
Schools for the East Indians at Agra: necessity felt; foundation 
and failure of the Protestant Academy ; history of the founding of 
our Boys' School — aid received; a similar history of the Girls' 
School — aid received — the leadings of Providence. The course of 
lectures. European soldiers. Influence of low East Indians. Evil 
influence of some officers. The Musalmdn convert. Other evils. 
Good predominates 189 — 219 



Xll CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER IX. 

SUCCESS. 

Necessary lapse of time. Difficulties: caste; philosophical sys- 
tems. Amount of success in numbers. Nature of it. Some cases : 
Poor Blind Sally; Mr. Wilson's catechist; Jatni. General impres- 
sion in favour of Christianity. Improved position of converts. In- 
fluence upon caste. The town of Kara and an inquirer. The 
pleasing inquirer and his mysterious disappearance. The old Mo- 
hammedan gentleman. The lawyer. The orphan asylums. Works 
of controversy against us. The effect of schools. Appeal for 
India 219—253 



Conclusion 254 



MISSIONARY LIFE IN NORTH INDIA, 



CHAPTER I. 



INTRODUCTORY. 



In October, 1838, the reinforcement to our North 
India Mission, of which my family constituted a part, 
sailed from Philadelphia. At this distance from that 
time it is instructive to turn back and recall our feel- 
ings for a moment. Any one, who has left his native 
land for a prolonged residence abroad, if he were at 
all accustomed to reflection and feeling, must have 
felt vividly the uncertainty of his ever again mingling 
with the associates who had made the scenes of his 
early days dear to him. A missionary feels that it 
is highly probable that he will not live to see his 
friends again. The wrench given to his affections is 
most exquisite. Even if he be sure of a future visit 
to his country, he cannot but feel that he is to be 
separated from relatives, churches, fellow-students, 
society — all dear to him ; and just when his social 
affections are warmest, and when he most feels the 
need of the aid to be derived from their proper indul- 
gence. And if he has any proper sense of the mag- 
nitude and difficulty of the work to which he is going, 
his soul will be filled with trembling. The surviving 
members of our party will never forget the melting of 
2 



14 MISSIONARY LIFE 

heart that we felt. Never did we feel so cut adrift 
from the world; nor did we ever so really feel that 
Christ was all to us. The first few days of our voy- 
age were full of the contests of natural yearnings with 
the workings of those higher feelings, motives and 
principles that lay at the foundation of our going 
forth. Never did Christ seem so precious to us as 
when we had given all that we cared for to him. 
When we do most for him, then we can most appro- 
priate him; not from the idea that we deserve more, 
but because we then come to feel more that we have 
nothing but him. 

Our party consisted of the Rev. James L. Scott and 
Mrs. Scott, the Rev. John B. Freeman and Mrs. 
Freeman, with Mrs. Warren and myself. Of this 
party, Mrs. Scott and Mrs. Freeman, after several 
years of great usefulness, are gone to a higher and a 
better sphere. I will not refrain from the pleasure 
of paying a deserved tribute to their worth. The 
leading characteristic of Mrs. Scott was an energetic, 
untiring spirit of enterprise. She was always ready 
cheerfully to undertake any work by which she could 
benefit the people, and promote the object of our mis- 
sion. Mrs. Freeman was more known for great and 
quiet gentleness — -a gentleness that did not make her 
influence less than that of the other lamented woman. 
The females of the Allahabad mission church were 
influenced by her to such an extent, that we may look 
for the fruit of her labours to be reproduced, again 
and again, in the future history of our Church in 
India. Both of them were our dear friends; and both 
left blanks in our circle that will not be filled in this 
world. A list of friends may be lengthened — blanks 
are rarely filled. 

It would be useless to give an account of our voy- 
age after such a lapse of time. The public is suf- 
ficiently acquainted both with such subjects, and with 
the general impressions of missionaries on reaching 



IN NORTH INDIA. 15 

the country of their destination. The journey up the 
Ganges has also been described by others, so that it 
is not necessary to refer further to that. We will, 
therefore, pass over all these matters, and proceed, in 
the next chapter, to look at missionary experience in 
the field of actual operations. 

The plan of this work is simple. It is to give 
specimens of all kinds of experience, both happy and 
sad ; and to display all our ordinary modes of work- 
ing, the reasons for them, and their results. The 
people and the circumstances, that affect our work, 
must be taken into view. The mode of doing this, 
which has been chosen, is to give a personal narrative 
of my own experience — not chronologically, but as to 
different subjects. My object is, to keep the indi- 
vidual out of sight, as far as the nature of the plan 
will permit; and on the thin thread of personal narra- 
tive to string anecdotes, sketches, and specimens, 
until the reader shall be able to gather an intelligible 
notion of our life and labours in India. An attempt 
is made to keep the reader from being wearied by the 
mere clanking of machinery, by interrupting and 
illustrating the narrative with all sorts of facts related 
to it. An additional chapter contains a brief sketch 
of the government of that country, and of different 
classes of persons, who are mentioned in the course 
of the work, so far as is necessary for the understand- 
ing of the narrative. 

The object of the book is, to help the friends of 
missions to a full knowledge of the work, so that 
they may form just expectations, and be led to go 
forward with more interest in the matter, more 
earnestness of desire and purpose, and more hope, 
patience, and prayer. 



16 MISSIONARY LIFE 



CHAPTER II. 

HOUSE-KEEPING AND LEARNING THE LANGUAGES. 

After reaching Allahabad we found that the Mis- 
sion families were not in a position to keep us in 
their houses with any convenience to themselves or 
to us. A large bungalow had been taken for us and 
Mr. and Mrs. Freeman jointly. As Mrs. Freeman 
was ill, they could not join us in house-keeping 
immediately ; and we therefore began by ourselves at 
once. While we had been tarrying at Benares, our 
boats had come on, and were unloaded the same day 
that we arrived. We spent the next day after our 
arrival, which was the Sabbath, at the house of one 
of our friends, and on Monday began our house-keep- 
ing- 

As bungalows in Upper India differ considerably 
from descriptions of them in the Madras Presidency 
and Ceylon, which I have seen in books published in 
America, a description of the one in which we first- 
lived, and of that which w T as afterwards bought for 
us, may be interesting. The one that was hired for 
our temporary use was much larger than missionaries 
need, or ever use in ordinary circumstances. It was 
situated nearly in the centre of a square lot of about 
six acres. A lane passing between two fields led to 
it from a retired road, so that the place was quiet 
and free from dust. In front of the house was a 
small parterre of flowering shrubs. The western part 
of the ground was a garden nearly filled with fruit 
trees. Along the north wall of the yard was a range 
of buildings — clay walls and tiled roofs — which con- 
tained the kitchen, stable, carriage- house, and about 
a dozen rooms intended as tenements for servants. 
The house faced the south. The entrance was a 
deep verandah, running the whole length of the 



IN NORTH INDIA. 17 

house, except that a small room was inclosed in each 
end of it, used as lumber rooms, or places in which 
the servants cleaned the lamps and performed similar 
work for the house. The largest room of the house 
was about thirty-five feet long, and twenty-two wide, 
stretching along the front. At the ends of this room 
were two smaller ones, serving as servants' hall, or 
pantry, or for any temporary use; though in truth 
their main office was to serve as passages to other 
rooms, and to keep the heated outer walls as far as pos- 
sible from the principal apartments. Behind this range 
of rooms was another of three, of which the middle 
one was largest. This room had no door opening into 
the verandah on any side, but was entirely sur- 
rounded by other rooms. The light in it was conse- 
quently scanty, and the room gloomy, so that it 
would be very rarely used, except in the very hottest 
weather, when its distance from the external walls 
would make it more cool than any other place in the 
house. Back of these three rooms were two large 
bed-rooms. The ends and back part of the house 
were protected by verandahs ; but the one in the rear 
was enclosed and cut up into small rooms, to serve as 
bathing rooms, &c. The house was of but one story, 
and covered an enormous quantity of ground for 
the amount of accommodation it afforded, compared 
with houses in America. But it was intended to 
accommodate but one ordinary family, and to keep 
out the heat as much as possible. The roof was 
pointed in the centre, very steep, and ran down low, 
projecting out from the verandahs, so that the lower 
edge of it was not more than nine feet from the 
ground. It was of grass, and about nine inches 
thick. The house presented scarcely anything but 
roof to the view at a little distance: it suggested the 
idea of a short stout person hidden by an enormous 
and ungainly sun-bonnet. 

The house that was bought for. us shortly after, 
2* 



18 MISSIONARY LIFE 

■was much smaller, but in other respects very similar 
to the other. The roof was of the same form and 
material; the verandah completely surrounded the 
house, and bathing-rooms were formed in it at three 
corners. The rooms that it contained were — one of 
twenty-two feet by sixteen ; at the end of this a pan- 
try ; and, back of these, two rooms of fifteen by six- 
teen feet each. This was too small to keep out the 
heat; and it not only afforded no accommodation for 
visitors, but was not sufficient for our family. After 
living in it some years, however, we were kindly 
allowed to add a sitting-room and study to this, which, 
with some minor alterations, made it a sufficiently 
good house. 

The floors of bungalows are made of lime. The 
foundation of the house is first filled up with clay, 
which is well rammed down ; then a course of broken 
bricks or hankar [limestone nodules] is laid over the 
clay and beaten down ; then coarse lime mixed with 
small kankar is put on and very well beaten ; then a 
plaster of finer lime is laid over all, and beaten 
lightly by a crowd of boys and girls for a long time, 
till, from being like a puddle of water, it becomes al- 
most dry; and then it is finished off with a thin coat- 
ing of pure white lime, not laid on like whitewash, 
but rubbed into the surface of the plaster, and 
carefully smoothed. Sugar, and various other arti- 
cles, are incorporated with the two upper strata of 
this formation, to make the floor hard. 

The ceiling of the rooms is cloth, tied to hooks 
over a cornice round the sides of the room, and sup- 
ported by bamboos that run across the room. The 
cloth is white-washed ; so that, when well put up, it 
closely resembles the plain lath and plaster ceilings 
in American houses. This cloth keeps scorpions, 
centipedes, and many other inconvenient things, from 
falling into the rooms, and upon whatever they con- 
tain. 



IN NORTH INDIA. 19 

The walls of these houses are made either of burnt 
bricks, or of those which are only sun-dried, or of clay 
in successive courses. All of them are plastered and 
whitened or coloured. The plaster is usually a pre- 
paration of lime, but is sometimes only clay and 
chopped straw. The walls, though clay, or laid up 
with clay mortar, stand well as long as protected from 
the rain ; but if the white ants go up through the 
walls, and eat the thatch over them, as they often do, 
the first rain sends down a stream of water, which 
gutters the wall, and brings with it a load of clay into 
the rooms. The first rain that we saw in India caused 
us this awkward accident, in the hired house spoken 
of above. We sent for the agent of the house-owner, 
and showed him our trouble; but as we had nothing 
in that room to be spoiled, he laughed at us for con- 
sidering the matter so sad and serious as we evidently 
did. A little straw thrust into the roof, and a little 
clay plaster applied to the wall, made all right for 
that season. 

We lived about six weeks in the hired house, till 
our own was purchased. During this time we were 
struggling to learn how to speak to the people, and 
to understand the ways of house-keeping in that 
strange country. We could not have the kitchen in 
the house; the heat absolutely forbade that. Even 
the poorest natives do not kindle their fires for cook- 
ing inside their houses in the hot weather, but out of 
doors. We were, therefore obliged to keep servants. 
Many people in America may be astonished that we, 
who could have got on very well with one servant in 
America, should in India keep several. 

A long detail of circumstances, to justify ourselves, 
will not be entered upon here; it is, or ought to be, 
sufficient to state simply that we were obliged to do 
so. We, having a fixed allowance, had quite as many 
inducements to lay up money as any clergyman's 
family in America; and missionaries, as a class, are 



20 MISSIONARY LIFE 

no more likely to waste an income on servants for 
show than any other people. We should have been 
glad to live with fewer servants, and to have received 
a smaller fixed allowance from the Board of Foreign 
Missions, had it been practicable. But the exhaust- 
ing climate, the necessary distance of the kitchen, the 
day-by-day mode of living there, the inveterate inef- 
ficiency of the servants, and the institution of caste, 
all combined to force us to have several servants, and 
still to be as badly served as a family in America is 
with one poor servant in their house. As to the last 
particular mentioned — caste — it operated in this way: 
the cook would not dust the furniture or sweep the 
house — it was against his caste. By this is not meant 
that there was any religious reason why he should not 
do these things — he could not be counted unclean for 
doing them ; but the people of his caste had agreed 
that these things were low, and that they would not 
do them; — they are usually done by men of lower 
caste, and therefore they would persecute one of their 
own men if he did them. Again, the man that dusted 
the furniture would not sweep — it was beneath him ; 
and the sweeper would not dust the furniture — he had 
never learned, and felt no need to learn, because he 
could get a living as a scavenger. Neither of them, 
would bring water, for it was not their trade; and if 
we did not employ a regular water-carrier, every man 
about the place cried out, How are we to get water? 
Some years after our first settlement at Allahabad 
we had a boy from the orphan asylum to provide for. 
He was not a good boy, and could not be trusted in 
the printing-house, where there were opportunities to 
pilfer; but he was a nominal Christian, and it was our 
duty to give him employment and keep him under the 
means of grace if we could. We therefore made him 
water-carrier. We put a bucket and windlass to the 
well, and procured a yoke and pair of buckets for 
him. This made it easier for him to draw and carry 



IN NORTH INDIA. 21 

water than the Asiatic method, where it is usually 
drawn in a little, leaky, leathern bucket, by a small 
line drawn hand over hand, and carried in a goat-skin 
over the back. It also made it practicable for each 
person to draw for himself. But the complaints were 
loud and long. Nearly all our people, in the house and 
printing-house, refused to drink the water brought 
by a Christian — it was unholy; and to touch the 
bucket in the well, for the same reason. They re- 
presented to me, most pathetically, that I was putting 
them all to great inconvenience and expense. The 
native Christians did not join in these objections; but 
they had never seen or heard of such a thing before, 
and could not believe that it would work : they doubted 
the windlass, the buckets and the yoke; but above all 
they could not see how a Christian could be made a 
water-carrier; it was perfectly unprecedented. The 
support, therefore, that we obtained from them was 
small indeed; and even the lad employed looked on 
himself as put to a very strange use. He could not 
say that the employment was not respectable ; for it 
has always been considered highly so. He could not 
plead that it was hard or unprofitable; but he knew 
that it was unusual, and that was enough to keep him 
from feeling easy in it. The experiment was con- 
tinued, however, and worked pretty well, till the boy 
abandoned my place to try his fortune in Calcutta. 
One more thing may be said : as far as an opportu- 
nity to learn their feelings has been afforded to me, 
I am led to believe that our wives would prefer doing 
their own house-work in America to living as they do 
in India, were there not far higher and holier motives 
than personal ease to keep them there. 

But to return from this digression. We had every 
thing to learn — language, facilities, customs, how to 
avoid being cheated, and how to escape doing wrong 
ourselves. Mrs. Warren, being still weak from her 
recent illness, required much of my assistance ; and 



22 MISSIONARY LIFE 

the necessity of giving it was rather an advantage to 
me at that time: a certain part of the language was 
learned from necessity. Much of the time was spent 
in turning over an English and Hindustani dictionary, 
to find out the names of things, and how to frame 
certain phrases. The dictionary was a most miserable 
affair, often provokingly giving definitions out of 
which nothing could be made, and often misleading 
me by not properly distinguishing what are usually 
called synonyms; but still we were led sometimes, as 
well as misled, by it. Our perplexities, with a cook 
who did not know twenty words of English, and who 
talked to us just as if we knew Hindustani, were often 
most ludicrous. We shall never forget the way in which 
we learned the word bhul (mistake); and will tell it as 
a specimen of that which was occurring every hour. 
We had bought a piece of mutton for dinner, and 
handed it over to the cook. After a time he came 
running, with trouble in his countenance, and said he 
had made a bhul; adding a great deal more which I 
did not at all understand. The word bhul completely 
puzzled me; and, as it appeared that this must be the 
key to his talk, I went into a diligent search of it in 
the Hindustani dictionary, but lacked knowledge to 
find the word from his pronunciation. At last, after 
long labour, I began to listen for other words, to serve 
as starting points; and soon made out the words kuttd 
(dog), gosht (meat), and le gayd (carried away), which 
I knew before. Thus it became apparent that he had 
made the bhiil (blunder) of leaving the meat in the 
kitchen unguarded, and a dog had carried away our 
dinner. 

The struggles which we constantly made to get 
work done in the way in which we had been accus- 
tomed to have it done at home, were sometimes amus- 
ing, and sometimes distressing; and our success was 
very small. The little and numberless ways in which 
the servants sought to cheat us, the dirty habits and 



IN NORTH INDIA. 23 

practices in which we detected them, and their child- 
ish helplessness in many things, all made U£ think, for 
a time, that we should never be able to endure them. 
But experience taught, and use reconciled, us at last. 
After our own house was purchased we went into 
it as soon as possible. The number and size of the 
rooms I have already mentioned, as well as the gene- 
ral character of the house. This had one peculiarity. 
Glass doors are generally considered a necessity. To 
these Venetians are added; or mats or quilted curtains 
are hung up against the doors; and occasionally the 
verandah is supplied with screens made from the stems 
of a very thick grass, or split bamboos. The pecu- 
liarity of our house was, that it had the Venetians, and 
no glass doors: we could not have light without wind, 
and its accompaniment of dust and heat. We carried 
our little furniture into this house; and perhaps it was 
better that the house was small. We had a tottering 
teak-wood dining table; twelve Indian chairs of tun, 
a wood resembling cherry; a rocking chair, and two 
painted chairs from Boston; a dressing-table and a 
study table, which were the halves of an old round 
table that I bought (too dear) for three dollars; a 
cheap set of camp-drawers, wash-stand and boxes. 
When furnishing ourselves with a bed in Calcutta we 
had also bought a spare bed. We were told not to do 
so; but our American notions of propriety were sadly 
shocked at the idea of having no bed to offer a friend, 
and we would buy it; but when we went into our 
house we found that we had no place in which to put 
the spare bed, and were obliged to sell it. We im- 
proved this furniture, and added to the number of ar- 
ticles, in the course of years, till we made our house 
tolerably pleasant. We had few places to visit, and 
our house was an important matter to us: we thought 
it our duty to each other to do all we could to make it 
a pleasant place to live in ; and that our children 
ought not to be brought up in unnecessary rus- 



24 MISSIONARY LIFE 

ticity. Tins remark, however, is not intended as an 
apology for anything like luxury: at no time while 
we were in India would all our furniture, together 
with horse and buggy, have been estimated at so much 
as would have furnished some single chambers in this 
country. 

The floors were covered with coarse coloured cotton 
cloth, printed in imitation of a carpet. This cloth, 
when first put down, looks rather gay, and in a hot cli- 
mate is a good substitute for a carpet. But it is soon 
spoiled. The day that we removed from the hired 
house into our own, it rained violently for a short 
time, and the wind drove the water across the veran- 
dah, and through the Venetians, till it stood in pud- 
dles on Mrs. Warren's gayest new floor-cloth, which 
cost $3.50 for the whole room. A rustic candidate 
for baptism, whom we had made watchman to give 
him the means of living, was assisting us in moving 
our goods, and Mrs. Warren found him churning the 
colours out of the carpet in one of these puddles with 
his naked feet. The poor fellow stood trampling 
away, and saying, in a tone of sorrow, " see the 
water ! we never can live here without glass doors ! 

The Mission thought so too ; and accordingly we 
began to make glass doors for the house. For this 
purpose we hired a carpenter, who worked in our 
back verandah. His mode of working, and some 
anecdotes respecting his caste, will be interesting to 
my readers, as specimens of the state of things in 
that country. His tools were very scanty, and of 
the poorest quality. Two small saws, two or three 
chisels, a few bits, and a rod and string to turn 
them, a small plane, and a kind of adze, which had to 
do nearly all the work, with a few minor articles, are 
the usual kit of a Hindustani carpenter and cabinet- 
maker. There are differences in workmen, but the 
one I am describing was by no means the worst. 
W r ith his tools he spent more time in sawing out 



IN NORTH INDIA. 25 

one bit of timber than twenty similar ones would 
have taken up in America. His plane was so small 
and poor that nothing was made either quite smooth 
or straight. As much of his work as could possibly 
be done so, was done with the adze : he held a rough 
stick slanting before himself by resting it in a notch 
made in a block that lay on the ground; and he then 
hewed slowly, taking off mere bits of shavings, till 
he had brought it to the shape required. All his 
work was done sitting on the ground, except when it 
had to do with the door-frames already fixed in the 
wall. Pieces of wood, on which he was at work with 
both hands, were steadied by his toes. It was a 
great trial of patience to see him at work : he did 
nothing well; and yet he did exceedingly well when 
we consider his tools and education. He could not 
do in a month more than a carpenter with us does 
in three days: but then his pay for the month was 
not more than a good American carpenter gets for 
three days. He never made two things alike : our 
doors were of such peculiar sizes, though all nomi- 
nally the same, that no one would fit another's frame; 
and no corner was a right angle, except by the merest 
accident. The rows of glass were far from running 
straight across the door, but were set up and down in 
anything but a fanciful manner. But after all, the 
doors kept out nearly all the wind they were intended 
to keep out. 

This man (and he is but a specimen of his class) 
had a great propensity to sleeping, and a small 
amount of faithfulness. If he fancied that I was 
busy, he would lie down beside his work and sleep, 
when he ought to have been at work, and had 
already been absent more than the usual time. I did 
almost every imaginable thing to break him of the 
habit: — threatened him with his discharge and with 
fines ; threw blocks of wood at him, taking care not to 
hit him, but wishing that he might think he had had 
3 



26 MISSIONARY LIFE 

great escapes; and reasoned with him, so far as a 
very scanty knowledge of his language permitted. 
At last, in an evil hour, I thought I had discovered 
an unexceptionable mode of awakening him, and 
making him cautious for the future, at the same time 
doing him no injury. He worked with only two 
pieces of cloth on him — a dirty white piece wrapped 
round his loins and tucked between his legs, and a 
red piece wrapped round his head for a turban. 
The weather was warm, and he was always bathing: 
so I thought he could not be injured by water. 
Accordingly the next time he was caught napping, I 
went into the bathing-room, a door of which opened 
into the verandah where he was lying, and threw a 
wash-bowl full of water over him. He got up and 
went about his work, after bathing at the well, and 
I heard nothing of it for three or four days. Then 
he came to me, saying, that he was in great trouble, 
as his people had suspended him from caste privi- 
leges, and would neither eat nor drink with him. 
The Hindustanis express these ideas by the phrase, 
"To stop his pipe and water." A friend of his, a 
great man of the caste, came to me to confirm the 
story. They said that the caste, having heard of 
the circumstance, presumed that the water had been 
used, or at least touched by me, and was therefore 
unholy ; and that some of it* had gone into his mouth ; 
though this he denied. They explained that, if the 
unholy water only fell on his body, he would only 
have to bathe in the river to be holy again ; but if it 
went into his mouth, he would have to fee the Brah- 
mans and feast the caste before he could be restored 
to communion ; and that this would cost about a hun- 
dred dollars, which I should have to pay. I learned 
that it really was both law and usage, that if one by 
any violence, or even by accident, injured any per- 
son's standing in his caste by producing ceremonial 
pollution, he should pay all the expenses of his 



IN NORTH INDIA. 27 

restoration. They at first showed some signs of a pur- 
pose to insist that the water went into the man's mouth, 
in order to make me pay for a feast for them ; and 
the man himself would have been willing that this 
should be the end of the business, had he not said 
before witnesses, in the first place, that his mouth 
had escaped the deluge, and thus furnished me with 
a ground of defence in a civil suit for damages. I 
stood out, of course, that I would not pay the money. 
At last the caste agreed to refer it to my honour; if I 
would say that I did not think the water went into 
his mouth, they would restore the man. As I fully 
believed the mouth had escaped, I said so; and that 
was the end of the business. This taught me to deal 
carefully with caste for all time to come. 

Some years after this, when I had another carpen- 
ter, of another sub-division of the same caste, at work 
for the printing-house, he assisted me in making a 
bargain with some Brahmans, who lived a few miles 
from the city of Allahabad, for some thatching grass 
for the bungalow. The price was settled at so much 
a thousand bundles, and eight or ten bundles w T ere 
given by the Brahmans. as specimens both of the 
thickness of bundle and length of grass which they 
were to give. These specimen bundles were carefully 
locked up in a store-room till they brought the grass. 
When they brought ft, we found that not more than 
half of it was at all up to the specimens. These were 
produced, and I said that I could not^pay the full 
price. I called some Hindus, who were engaged in 
the work of thatching the house, and were well ac- 
quainted with such matters, and asked them what was 
to be done. The Brahmans agreed to leave the mat- 
ter to them. They decided that I ought to pay about 
nine dollars less than the whole lot would amount to 
at the full price. This sum I deducted from the 
price, and paid the remainder. I was sure that I was 
doing them no wrong, but rather was paying them too 



28 MISSIONARY LIFE 

nruch. They murmured, and said they would have 
the remainder — -the full price agreed on at first. I 
asked them why they brought me such grass — why 
they gave such specimens if they did not intend to 
bring grass to answer to them. They said bluntly, 
that they had brought the specimens to induce me to 
make the bargain; and then had given as good grass 
as they could ; that I must be foolish to expect to get 
anything as good as the specimens given; and that 
they had unloaded the grass in my yard, and must 
have the money. I then told them they might go to 
the civil court with the case, and I would pay what- 
ever was decreed. They said no more to me. In a 
short time the carpenter came to me, and said that 
the Br&hmans were demanding the nine dollars from 
him, on the ground that he had introduced them to 
me, and assisted in making the bargain. I sent a 
servant to order them out; but all the Hindus about 
me joined in imploring ttiat I would do no such thing 
— something dreadful would happen after it. The 
Brahmans, they said, had agreed that if the carpenter 
did not pay the money, one of them should rip him- 
self up with a knife, and die on the carpenter's ac- 
count. There were three of the Brahmans, and they 
had been overheard laying their plan behind a wall: 
the youngest said that it belonged to him to die ; but 
the oldest said that he had lived tt greater number of 
years, and had eaten a great deal, and therefore he 
ought to be the one. And so it was finally settled: 
they were to make a formal demand, and use entrea- 
ties, threats, and all other means short of a lawsuit; 
and if the carpenter should hold out, the old man was 
to kill himself on the spot, and the carpenter would 
have to bear the guilt. No guilt so terrifies a Hindu 
as causing the death of a Brahman; and so confused 
are the ideas of the uneducated Hindus as to different 
kinds of causes, that they esteem the killing of them- 
selves out of spite to another as the most exquisite 



IN NORTH INDIA. 29 

kind of revenge; because they fancy that all the 
guilt of their death is, in this case, transferred to the 
person on whom they may thus choose to lay it. The 
carpenter was thoroughly frightened. He begged me 
to give the money. I refused; and explained to him 
and the Brahmans, that if they chose to kill them- 
selves in an attempt to extort money unjustly, they 
alone would suffer for it. He then prayed that I 
would lend hirn the amount. I refused again, be- 
cause I thought it right to combat such mingled 
knavery and superstition. But all this did not, as I 
hoped it would, prevent the Brahmans from carrying 
out their purpose: they made a last solemn appeal to 
the carpenter, with adjurations and curses, telling him 
that they chose to practise upon him, because he be- 
lieved in their power and doctrines, and I did not. 
He broke down, borrowed the money, and paid them 
the last farthing. He lost it: for I never would 
pay it. 

I will only add some anecdotes, that will do some- 
thing to illustrate the matter of housekeeping in 
India, and also the character of some classes of the 
people. 

Shortly after we were settled at Allahabad, we had 
a cook, a Musalman, and a low caste Hindu bearer, 
as our house-servants. From time to time we missed 
various articles of clothing, but supposed they might 
have been mislaid during Mrs. Warren's illness, and 
postponed the search for them till she should be 
stronger. At length, when I had five hundred ru- 
pees, as treasurer of the Mission, in the house, and 
was quite aware how much had been paid out of it, I 
found the bag evidently too light; and on counting 
the money, found that one hundred and thirty rupees 
were wanting. The cook had no business in that 
part of the house, and had never been seen there. 
The bearer w r as the only person we could suspect. 
Being entirely puzzled as to how to proceed, I called 
3* 



30 MISSIONARY LIFE 

in the Thanadar. This is the head policeman of a 
small district. The man, in whose district I lived, 
appeared to be very shrewd. I thought, when he 
winked at me, and told me he would find some clue to 
the truth by his examination of the bearer, that his 
shrewdness, and tact, and experience would certainly 
be sufficient to find the money. On further examina- 
tion of our goods it was found that half of my shirts and 
many of our best articles of clothing were gone. This 
was a sad loss, and we never recovered anything. 
The Thanadar took away the bearer, and detained him 
three days, but was obliged to discharge him, as he 
could discover nothing on which to found a charge 
before the magistrate. I afterwards learned, to my 
great disgust and sorrow, that the Thanadar, during 
this time, had miserably vexed and tortured the poor 
man, in every mode that would not leave palpable 
marks, in order to compel him to confess. The 
bearer was turned out of our service, as we still be- 
lieved him guilty, though we could not convict him. 
In a week or two after this the cook asked for his dis- 
charge. I have forgotten the pretext, but that does 
not signify — he left us. Immediately after this he 
married a wife, though he already had one; and laid 
out at least a hundred rupees on an enlargement of 
his house, beside being known to live rather luxuri- 
ously, though before he entered our service he was in 
debt. Thus it became manifest to every one that he 
was the thief; but still we could get no legal evidence 
against him. 

On this occasion my Munshi greatly regretted the 
prevalence of English law and customs. He said that 
under any native government the circumstances, which 
were open to all, would be considered sufficient for a 
conviction; and that it was perfectly ridiculous to 
screen a manifest rogue because no one saw him take 
the money. He asked, with much pertinence, Ought 
the law to expect that a thief will take witnesses with 



IN NORTH INDIA. 31 

him when he goes to steal? He said, (and the 
natives often talk in this way,) that English pro- 
cedure and customs as to evidence, are totally 
unsuited to Hindustan, and serve to screen offenders 
oftener than to punish them ; and are precisely fitted 
to make a nefarious conspiracy against an innocent 
man completely successful. As an example of this 
evil, I may cite a case which occurred under my own 
observation. 

A man was accused of having committed a bur- 
glary, aided by two friends, by breaking into a house 
and carrying off various articles, on Sunday, in broad 
day. The charge was proved by twenty-five wit- 
nesses, who all testified that they saw it, as they 
were sitting with the owner of the house. The 
assistant magistrate, a young man of very little 
experience, thought no case could be more clear ; and 
he sentenced the supposed criminal to imprisonment 
with labour. The matter was brought before the 
judge by appeal; and he directed the discharge of 
the man on the simple ground that the more eye- 
witnesses there were pretended to be of such an act, 
the more improbable it became — that he could not 
believe the accuser, with twenty-five able-bodied men 
with him, w T ould see his house broken open by any 
three men and not resist it ; and neither would any 
three men perform such an act in such circumstances. 
The natives all praised this decision, and said this 
was all the weight that ought to be allowed to direct 
evidence, when circumstances were against its proba- 
bility. Had the judge, as many would have done, 
considered every man's oath good who could not be 
convicted of perjury, the poor victim of a stupid con- 
spiracy must have served out his time in prison. The 
accuser, the accused, and all the witnesses in this 
case were Mohammedans. 

I ought to state, for my own good name, that after 
circumstances had shown that our bearer was not 



32 MISSIONARY LIFE 

the thief that I had supposed him to be, I exerted 
myself to get him another place, and succeeded. 

One of my principal employments during this first 
summer was studying the language. The first teacher 
proposed to me was Patthras, [Peter] a native Cate- 
chist. He came to me two or three days after my 
arrival, introduced by one of the mission, and began 
to talk to me in Hindustani, as if I knew it already. 
I tried my very few words of his language, but we 
got on badly. At length I managed to ask him how 
he intended to make me understand him, as we had 
no language in common. He answered in Hindus- 
tani, " by the dictionary. " I did not understand the 
word that meant dictionary ; and after he had repeated 
it many times, with many contortions and increasing 
loudness of voice, as if emphasis would make me 
understand, he mustered up his English and said, 
" dissenherry" I was so stupid that this was unintel- 
ligible too, till he laid hold of the book, and told me 
this was the dissenherry. I commenced reading the 
gospel of Matthew with him ; but we could not go on 
together. His education had not been such as to 
exercise his mind at all, and he could not explain any- 
thing; he was fat and gross, and a little labour or 
heat put him almost out of his senses; and he was 
never punctual, but always disappointing me and 
making lame excuses. Beside this, I soon found that 
it would not answer to lay myself under any obliga- 
tion to him : he had already tried to borrow money 
from me, and to get me to do various things for him, 
which showed his greed most disagreeably. After 
making an unsatisfactory beginning with him, it was 
determined that I must have a better teacher; and it 
was fortunate that this change was made so soon: for 
I afterward discovered that he had allowed me to give 
wrong sounds to certain peculiar letters, and wrong 
accents, without correcting me ; and in a short time 



IN N0KTH INDIA. 33 

longer bad habits would have been formed, which it 
would have been very difficult to get rid of. 

Patthras was by birth a Musalman, of Lucknow. 
He had been a soldier, and held some inferior mili- 
tary office, in the service of the King of Oude, at 
Lucknow — the splendid and corrupt — the Paris of 
India. Perhaps a worse school for the education of 
a man could not be found in the world than employ- 
ment about the court of Lucknow. The government 
is Mohammedan of the worst stamp ; the people 
effeminate and vicious beyond all European imagina- 
tion ; offices are always bought, and the best part of 
their income is made up of bribes and the fruits of 
oppression. Every man in office preys upon those 
below him. The office that Patthras held under this 
government had a nominal pay of about fourteen 
dollars a month attached to it, which was often long 
in arrears; while he was married to two wives, and 
accustomed to some luxury and show. He had there- 
fore become accustomed to cunning and rapacity, but 
was no worse than his fellows : probably was a fair 
average man for that place. Though I would not 
dare to say that he never was a Christian by convic- 
tion, yet it was evident that the leaven of his educa- 
tion remained, and continually fermented. As there 
is an English resident at Lucknow, to look after the 
interests of the East India Company's Government, 
and some assistants, besides some English and East 
India people in business, the Company keeps a chap- 
lain and surgeon there. Patthras became acquainted 
with some of these, and was led to examine Chris- 
tianity. The chaplain took him under instruction ; 
and, after he had separated from one of his wives, 
settling sgme little landed property on her, he bap- 
tized him. Thus he stripped himself of his little 
hereditary estate, parted with a wife of whom he 
always professed to be fond, and lost his commission 
in the army. He was looked upon at the time as 



34 MISSIONARY LIFE 

quite a martyr ; and far be it from me to say that it 
was all rascality : he may have been sincere. But 
his latter course laid him open to the shafts of suspi- 
cion : it could be said that he had experienced the evils 
of bigamy, and was willing to give up one wife in 
order to live in peace with the other; that his land 
was not sufficient to support his family, and brought 
him little or nothing when he could not personally 
superintend it, and so was no sacrifice w r hen given up ; 
and that he hoped to be petted and made great by 
the English, which would more than compensate for 
the loss of his office. It could also be supposed that 
he was one who sincerely took up with the truth, 
but when called to suffer for it, was offended. His 
old corrupt education and habits, at any rate, resumed 
their influence. He became first luxurious again, and 
got in debt ; then, when dunned by his creditors, he 
made rapacious demands of his employers ; then cun- 
ning and falsehood, those invariable resorts of the 
weak and slavish, were taken up again ; then rage 
against us, for not satisfying his cupidity came on ; 
and finally apostasy, or playing fast and loose with 
both Christianity and Islam, was the last scene of his 
history with which I became acquainted. 

But it must not be supposed that Patthras was 
suffered to go to ruin in this way without the most 
strenuous efforts on our part to preserve him from a 
fall. He had been taken up by two gentlemen at 
Allahabad, who paid his whole wages, and set him to 
work under our Mission, and in the especial charge of 
Mr. Morrison. These gentlemen gave him an income 
that secured him and his family a better living than 
nine out of ten families of the same rank in Hindus- 
tan have ; and they looked after him diligently, gave 
him advice and encouragement, and befriended him 
in every possible way. They once paid his debts, 
and cleared him of all his difficulties, on his promise 
to live within his income for the future, and to ask no 



IN NOBTH INDIA. 85 

more similar favours. When he again got into the 
same kind of difficulties, and to a greater extent, Mr. 
Morrison fully relieved him, after pitying him, 
instructing him, and doing everything that the largest 
interpretation of Christian obligation could demand. 
Patthras, as before, promised everything, but went 
on in the same course worse and worse. His creditors 
at length pressed him again. He promised falsely, 
and equivocated. He thought us severe, and told 
several persons of his troubles. The Episcopal chap- 
lain of the station, a good but weak man, thought he 
could manage him, and we consented that he should 
try. His two friends agreed to pay his salary into 
the chaplain's hands, and he agreed rigidly to see 
that Patthras's necessities were cared for, and to pay 
all that could be saved monthly to his creditors. 
Patthras consented to this arrangement; but before 
a week was over declared, quite falsely, that the 
chaplain was literally starving him. Pie told me 
such a pitiful story that I gave him some money; and 
when the chaplain heard of it, he was much offended 
at me for believing any part of the story. Patthras 
then quarrelled with the chaplain ; and about the 
same time came to me again, apparently labouring 
under all the excitement of a madman. He showed 
me the passage in the Acts of the Apostles about the 
community of goods ; he accused me of not obeying 
the command of Christ, in that I did not share my 
goods with him; he said that I saw him having need, 
and shut up my bowels against him. I treated his 
fanatical notions with all the forbearance that was 
possible, and calmly taught him what was right. 
When I explained to him that I did not think he had 
need, according to the sense of those words as used 
by the Apostle John, he became so thorougly enraged 
that the foam gathered on his lips. He said he could 
listen to a man no more, who could give such a selfish 
interpretation to Scripture ; and when asked if his 



86 MISSIONARY LIFE 

own interpretation was not as liable to be considered 
selfish, he took a sudden and angry leave of me. A 
few days afterward he pretended some business at 
Lucknow, and got a fortnight's leave of absence from 
his employers, and never returned. 

This circumstance, coming as it did in the early 
part of my missionary life, distressed me greatly. 
And even now I cannot think of the case without sin- 
cere grief. The poor man must have been a most des- 
perate hypocrite all the time ; or have fallen into snares 
of the wicked one, that ought to excite our deepest 
pity. Whatever view we take of his case, it is one 
that causes sorrow. 

After Patthras ceased to be my Munshi, as a 
teacher of languages is usually called there, I en- 
gaged an elderly man, who had been the Munshi of 
many gentlemen. He was a Musalman, learned in 
Persian and Hindustani, and thought himself learned 
in many other things. He had various quips of logic, 
that he thought most profound and valuable; and fer- 
vently believed many most monstrous fables about 
natural history and science, that were vastly amusing. 
He was pliable, affable, polite, quick, shrewd, and 
very conversable. With his private character I had, 
of course, nothing to do, even though it could not be 
considered a matter of indifference to me; but there 
was no reason to suppose it very estimable. All that 
I know about it with any certainty is, that he was an 
opium-eater, and showed in his conversation a great 
deal of unscrupulousness as to morals, while vaunting 
highly his honourable principles. With this man I 
continued the reading of the gospel, and began that 
of some native works of fiction, which are thought 
most useful for teaching one the idiom of the lan- 
guage; but the greatest advantage was derived from 
talking with him. I undertook to teach him Chris- 
tianity, and our conversations on this subject were 
long and interesting. He helped me to words. He 



IN NORTH INDIA. 37 

had acquired a perfectly wonderful faculty of seeing 
what word his pupil wanted, and would turn it up in 
the dictionary, and tell how to fit it into the sentence 
that was being framed, without at all interrupting the 
train of the conversation. Then he made me tell him 
long stories about railroads, telegraphs, electricity, 
chemistry, governments and customs in Europe and 
America, and "Nupaloon Boniparty," whom he 
thought almost a greater man than Alexander the 
Great — a decided stretch of belief for an oriental; for 
Alexander is the only person in Ancient History, 
having a connection with Europe, of whom the orien- 
tals now know anything, save as such knowledge is 
newly introduced along with English education. The 
Munshi sometimes told me tales, watching my coun- 
tenance to see where he needed to explain more fully. 
He set me right about the pronunciation of difficult 
letters, and advised me to walk up and down the ve- 
randah practising. Accordingly hours on hours were 
spent in this peculiar exercise — an excellent mode, 
amongst others, of acquiring a correct enunciation 
and intonation. After a few months passed in this 
way, I was obliged to discharge this man, in order to 
unite with Mr. Freeman in hiring one man between 
us both, from motives of economy. This man was a 
good teacher also; and, after ceasing to be Mr. Free- 
man's teacher, for many years was attached to the 
printing-house as Munshi and proof-reader; and, of 
course, he continued to give me occasional assistance 
in the language. This was a considerable advantage. 
We may well doubt whether there is not often an un- 
wise economy practised as to the expense of language 
teachers for missionaries. It is customary to dis- 
charge them as soon as they can be dispensed with, 
when it would be much better, in many cases, to re- 
tain their services for several years: the missionary's 
preaching and writing would often be incalculably the 
better for it, if he have a talent for language worth 
4 



38 MISSIONARY LIFE 

cultivating at all. A man has not learned to speak a 
foreign language when he can tell in English the 
meaning of what he reads and hears, and can be un- 
derstood when he speaks: there is something beyond 
all this. To speak effectively he must gain the power 
of speaking like a fluent native. A great deal of 
practice, and a scholarly companion to guide him, are 
both necessary to the missionary for this end. 

The Munshi last referred to was a much more se- 
date man than the former one; he was even severely 
formal in his outward manner. He was very devout 
and religious, and expressed so much concern to ar- 
rive at all that was true, that I often had great hope 
that he would be converted to Christianity. This 
hope was, for a long time, encouraged by his whole 
manner. He was mild and reasonable in discussions 
of religious points, and seemed deeply impressed with 
a conviction of certain deficiencies in the Mohamme- 
dan system. He often shed tears in our conversations 
when the love of Christ was set forth; and once told 
me that the Christian scheme of salvation was beau- 
tiful, perfect, and entirely worthy of God. But I at 
last discovered, with intense pain, that two things 
hindered his conversion. The first was spiritual 
pride: he could not be persuaded that he was not 
quite pious and righteous already. His zeal, devotion, 
and religious reputation were as great hinderances to 
his practically coming to the light, as open and out- 
rageous vice can ever be. The second hinderance was 
his love of women: Christian practice in this respect 
was not at all to his taste; and the license allowed by 
I stem was highly so. There was something extremely 
odd and disgusting in his sanctified appearance and 
his lasciviousness taken together; but he was proba- 
bly unable to perceive their incongruity. A pretty 
widow, whom he had kept in his house for some time, 
on the footing of supplementary wife, ran away with 
all the family jewels. He came to me with the de- 



IN NORTH INDIA. 39 

tails of her crime, suffering great shame and vexation. 
I pointed out to hitn that this could not have hap- 
pened had his domestic relations been on the Christian 
plan, and told him that sin brought sorrow. He said 
he had not been sinning: he had taken the woman to 
keep her from being ruined by some bad fellows. 
"And her living with you was not the same kind of 
ruin?" He made no reply. Now I am quite aware 
that this account of my teacher may seem indelicate 
to some people. But I reply, to any such objection, 
that my object is to show the people and the charac- 
ter and operation of their religious notions; and that 
this cannot be done in any better way. I have men- 
tioned above a transaction that was considered per- 
fectly allowable and respectable by the society in 
which the Munshi moved. 

During this year our friend, the Rev. James Wil- 
son, was living not far from us. He was four years 
my senior as a missionary, and preached in Hindus- 
tani with considerable ease. He had a Hindustani 
service in a room where the orphan girls' school was 
taught. This service was regularly attended by me, 
partly for the sake of example, and partly to learn 
the language. This was of great advantage to me; 
for though at first I understood nothing, very soon 
some phrases became known ; then others ; then 
many words, which I did not understand, were looked 
up in the dictionary; idioms were noticed: in short,. 
a sort of preaching dialect became familiar to me, 
and assisted me in a way that the books I was read- 
ing would not have done. In the course of this 
season Mr. Wilson baptized an elderly Musalman 
woman. This was the first baptism of a native that 
I had seen, and I was greatly encouraged by it. 
My memory now goes back to this and some other 
occasions, and fixes upon them, as luminous points, 
with great joy. This first baptism; the first Hin- 
dustani communion at Allahabad; the opening of the 



40 MISSIONARY LIFE 

church that we built there ; the finishing of the build- 
ings for the printing-house; the completion ' of the 
fund for buying our school-houses at Agra; and 
several other occurrences, show me that I have much 
to be thankful for. 

My studies during' this first summer were much 
interrupted by the sickness of Mrs. Warren. We 
were at one time afraid that her health would not 
endure the climate of India, even if she should sur- 
vive the first summer. But it pleased God to restore 
her, and still to spare her to return to America with 
me, after an absence of nearly sixteen years. Her 
illness was caused, no doubt, partly by the exposures 
of our journey, and by her sorrows; but I may as 
well state, for the warning of all who may be in a 
position to profit by it, that it probably was also 
caused by our mode of living during the early part of 
that summer. We had been obliged to contract a 
debt to the full amount of the price of a horse and 
buggy, and our furniture was most scanty. We 
therefore determined to live in the practice of the 
most severe economy ; and kept the table as low 
as possible, and avoided the employment of men 
for the tatti and pankhd. The tatti is a thin screen 
made of the fragrant root of a grass, and is used in 
a door, where, wetted frequently, it causes coolness 
in the house by the evaporation of the water, which 
is very rapid when the hot wind is blowing. The 
pankha is a large fan, usually hung in all India rooms, 
and swung by a rope that runs through the wall. 
The agitation of the air caused by it is very refresh- 
ing. These two means of mitigating the heat are 
universally resorted to by all Europeans in Upper 
India, where the heat is much greater than near 
Madras or Bombay, though the latitude is higher. 
The Government furnishes these articles in the bar- 
racks of European regiments; and this fact proves 
that they cannot be considered luxuries, but rather 



IN NORTH INDIA. 41 

necessaries. The expense is not very great, because 
unskilled labour is exceedingly cheap there; but we 
thought it our duty to save it. This economy was 
unwise, because injurious. The medical man at length 
peremptorily ordered us to resort to the pankha. 

It may very likely occur to some reader to say, in 
substance, " How much better it would be if mission- 
aries would go out unmarried ! See how much unhap- 
piness, and even hinderance to this writer's proper 
work, resulted from his having encumbered himself 
with a wife/' If this objection to the marriage of 
missionaries possessed no force, it would not be worth 
while to answer, or even refer to it: it is just because 
it contains truth that it ought to be answered. 
Nothing is gained by taking up ultra-positions; there- 
fore let it be confessed that there may be men and cir- 
cumstances such as to make celibacy desirable. But 
generally, and especially in India, it is better that a 
missionary should be married. All the ordinary 
arguments in favour of the marriage of the clergy 
apply in the case of the missionary, and these it is 
not necessary to repeat. All the special objections 
to the marriage of missionaries, who are going to 
barbarous places, fail of their force, in a great de- 
gree, when applied to India ; because there medical 
assistance can usually be procured, and we live under 
a regular system of laws duly administered. 

The special reasons why a missionary to India 
ought to be married are as follows: — Our work there 
is regular, not admitting of much excitement, and 
often involves great trials of faith and patience. A 
missionary is often isolated from general society to a 
great extent; and if he have occasional invitations to 
the houses of English residents and fellow mis- 
sionaries, they can occupy but comparatively little of 
his time, leaving him generally the sole occupant of 
his house. If, in these circumstances, he becomes 

listless, languid and melancholy, there is not much 
4* 



42 MISSIONARY LIFE 

cause for wonder. It would be no small advantage 
to have his family about him, to produce a change in 
his ideas and feelings; and a good wife would incite 
him to keep on in patience and hope. The amount 
of the gentlemen's labour that ought thus to be 
carried to the credit of their ladies, no stranger to 
our work can conceive. It is true that now and then a 
sick wife causes the return of a missionary from the 
field ; but I am confident that if it were a matter 
that could be sifted by an impartial person, he would 
find that many married men remain in the field vastly 
longer than they would have done if unmarried; and 
that more men leave the work because they are not 
married, than because they are. I have known 
several bachelor missionaries, and have no hesitation 
in saying that, with a few happy exceptions, they 
were sickly, did not settle to their work well, and 
were not able to preserve that suavity which was 
necessary to their own and their associates' comfort; 
and, when some of them were afterwards married, 
they proved to be as hearty, steady, industrious and 
agreeable as any men. Some of these statements 
may be doubted, and the arguments may produce a 
smile ; but being deeply conscious that in them I am 
uttering great truths — indeed, that their greatness is 
exactly in proportion to their homeliness — I shall not 
be deterred from saying them. A second special 
reason for our being married is, that a single man 
cannot deal with the native Christian women as it is 
desirable to do. A wife's influence, example and 
instructions are requisite. What could I have done 
towards advising young girls from the orphan asylum, 
when first married to very young men in the printing- 
house ? Every person of any reflection can perceive 
how important it was to our new community that a 
woman should aid informing it. Another fact, to show 
that a lady should be present, is the absence of any 
proper sense of the value of chastity amongst the 



IN NORTH INDIA. 43 

people. Even the native Christian women do not feel 
on this matter as American women do. The civilized 
ideas that have made unchasteness a special sin and 
loss of honour, have yet to grow up there as a pro- 
duct of mature Christianity; at present it is no more 
than any other transgression of the law in their esti- 
mation. This fact makes it peculiarly necessary that 
a Christian lady should be amongst them, to aid by her 
example and her precepts in forming a proper senti- 
ment on such subjects. A gentleman might, indeed, 
preach all that need to be said about this subject ; but 
no one but the missionary's wife can exert that unde- 
fined, often unrecognized, but most important influence 
that always, as it were, floats around, and is diffused 
by the true Christian woman — for, if the missionary is 
not married, no lady will be so situated as to exert this 
influence upon his people. And the absence of pro- 
per ideas, which is here referred to, places the unmar- 
ried missionary in danger. This, however, is a part 
of the subject to which I will only allude. Still 
another reason why missionaries should be married is, 
that the natives usually take it for granted that all 
single men are unchaste. They know so much of 
their own desperate corruption, that they consider 
purity impossible. 



CHAPTER III. 

THE PRINTING-HOUSE. 

When it was arranged that Allahabad should be my 
station, it was determined that advantage should 
be taken of my knowledge of the printing business to 
set up a press there. In the course of the history of 
this undertaking the reasons for it will sufficiently 
appear; and therefore it is not necessary to set them 
out formally here. This plan suited my tastes in some 



44 MISSIONARY LIFE 

respects: I was fond of the press, and of that class 
of undertakings that are connected with it. It had 
been my intention once to make my way in the world 
as editor and publisher of a newspaper; and this in- 
tention had been laid aside when an overpowering 
sense of duty made me seek the ministerial office. 
Now, when something like my old propensity could 
be gratified along with the employments of my new 
calling, the prospect was very pleasing to me. I do 
not, on the whole, regret my course in this respect; 
though I at length became thoroughly weary of the 
amount of secular business that was involved in it. 
I still believe that the press was as important to our 
operations at that time as I thought it to be, and but 
little less so now; and that carrying it on is a busi- 
neso most honourable and useful; but the desire to 
preach and translate more than that employment al- 
lowed me time to do, induced me, two years before 
leaving India, to turn over the place to my successor 
very gladly. The Rev. L. Gr. Hay of Indiana, who 
was sent out to relieve me at my request, has charge 
of the press now. 

A medium iron press, three kinds of English type, 
and a considerable quantity of printing paper, were 
sent out with us. These went, with our baggage, to 
Allahabad by boat. It would have been well if I had 
remained in Calcutta some time, to learn the ways of 
Indian printing-houses, to find out what was wanting 
in my apparatus, to remedjr defects where there were 
workmen accustomed to such things, and to learn 
from our friends up the country what kind of work we 
should have to do, so that the necessary kinds of 
oriental type and workmen could be engaged at once. 
But a complete want of experience in these respects 
prevented all parties from knowing what to do. 

When we arrived at Benares we found that the 
missionaries of the Church of England and of the 
London Missionary Society, with some other friends 



IN NORTH INDIA. 45 

of the cause, had formed a Tract Society, or were 
about to do so; and that, because there was no print- 
ing establishment that could at all do their work 
nearer than Calcutta on the one side (four hundred 
and twenty-five miles), and Lodiana on the other 
(nearly seven hundred miles), they had intended to 
set up a press for themselves, and as a beginning had 
bought a Persian and a Nagari fount of type. But 
they were encompassed with difficulties: they had 
amongst them no one who possessed any of the me- 
chanical experience that was requisite, and there were 
no workmen within their reach; the engagements of 
all the missionaries were such that no one could be 
found to take that efficient charge of the affair that 
alone could render it successful; they had neither 
press nor buildings; and above all, they had no money 
— the income which they expected their society to 
have, being by no means adequate to such an under- 
taking; for these reasons they proposed to me to buy 
their type, and thus enable them to give up their 
plan; and, as the type was what we should certainly 
require, we agreed to take if off their hands. This 
Benares movement is mentioned merely to show that 
such a press as ours was wanted in that region. At 
that time, beside our Mission press at Lodiana, there 
were only two presses in all the region north and 
west of Calcutta, and these were principally engaged 
in printing two English newspapers at Delhi and 
Agra. Since the establishment of ours a large mis- 
sion press has grown up at Mirzapore, a very large 
one at Agra, a small private one at the same place, a 
large newspaper establishment at Meerut, since re- 
moved to Agra, another large newspaper and job 
press at Lahor, and a smaller one at Benares. Be- 
side these, little lithographic presses have sprung up 
all over the country in great numbers, for printing 
Urdu and Persian books. These grow up like mush- 
rooms, and often fail like them too. About two 



46 MISSIONARY LIFE 

years since there were seven at Agra alone. Not- 
withstanding this great increase of presses, ours has 
experienced no lack of work. This certainly shows 
that our press was needed when established ; and it 
also exhibits a great and gratifying improvement of 
the country in some respects. 

The languages and dialects in which we had to 
work, may as well be mentioned here, in order that 
future allusions to them may be easily understood. 

The language of Upper India is divided into two 
dialects, having mainly the same grammar. Some- 
times these dialects are distinguished as the Hindus- 
tdni and the Hindui, or Hindi. By these terms it 
was probably intended to make the first as belonging 
to the country at large, that is, to Hindustan; and 
the second as being proper to the branch of the peo- 
ple called Hindus. In these senses the terms are not 
inappropriate ; for the Hindustani is a sort of lingua 
franca — a language spoken more or less all over the 
country; and the Hindui is nearly confined to the 
Hindus of the north-west. But the more general dia- 
lect is more exactly designated by the term Urdu, 
which means the Camp, indicating the origin of it in 
the camp of the Persian-speaking invaders of India, 
where it was formed on the pure Hindui or Hindi. 
From the north-west it has been carried all over 
India, wherever the Musalman power extended. But 
the north-west remained its main field, and it has 
retained its beauty and power chiefly there; or rather 
has been more cultivated there, because this was the 
chief seat of the Musalm&n dominion. In this work, 
whenever I speak of these dialects in general terms, 
not intending to distinguish one in particular, I shall 
use the term Hindustani; but when the reference is 
to either especially, the terms Urdu and Hindi will 
be used. The difference between these two dialects 
consists mainly in the different sources from which 
their substantives were derived. In both of them the 



IN NORTH INDIA. 47 

verbs and the particles, and the grammatical con- 
struction and forms are very nearly the same; but 
the Urdu takes the greater part of its nouns from the 
Persian and Arabic, while the greater part of those 
employed in the Hindi are either indigenous or San- 
scrit. Some, of course, are common to both. In 
addition to this, however, the Urdu often employs Per- 
sian constructions by way of ornament. A sentence, 
given in both dialects, will illustrate the peculiarity as 
to substantives : 

Urdu — Ai hamare Bap, jo dsmdv, par hai ! 

Hindi — Hae hamare Pita, jo swarz par hai ! 

English — our Father, who heaven in art ! 

The alphabet generally used for the Urdu is the 
Persian or Arabic character. In common parlance 
there is a distinction made between the Arabic and 
Persian letters, though they are identical in principle, 
the latter being only a more flowing and more easily 
written form of the Arabic. This character is very 
round and stiff; while the Persian indulges in more 
elongated strokes and more flourishing tails. In the 
Persian also, as being the character for ordinary 
writing, the forms ,of some of the letters are simplified 
a little. In Hindustan the Persian character is much 
more easily read, from its more constant employment 
in writing, than the Arabic, though the latter is much 
more plain; and towards Lodiana the people say they 
cannot read the Arabic at all. It is highly desirable 
to use the Arabic character in printing, instead of the 
Persian, whenever it is possible. The Arabic joins 
with tolerable ease; but the forms that have been 
given to the same letters, in the Persian mode of writ- 
ing, are such that it is impossible to join them in a 
straight line, and we are obliged to have compound 
characters, of two, three, and even four letters, cast 
together, in order to join them in the manner of manu- 
script, without doing which they would look badly, 
and offend the eye, by being against all rule. Ordi- 



48 MISSIONARY LIFE 

nary readers may get a better idea of this matter 
when I state, that with three hundred boxes in a type- 
case we can print Arabic very well ; and that my first 
fount of Persian letter had over eleven hundred, and 
was still very imperfect. Printers will sympathize 
with me when I tell them, that the kerns, or letters 
that stood partly off the body of the type, were almost 
half of the whole number. These kerns project above 
and below the body, as well as on both sides. After 
a form went to press they were continually breaking 
down, leaving letters headless, or tailless, or without 
distinguishing marks, thus frequently changing one 
letter into another, and making a serious error. On 
one occasion, in printing the Book of Proverbs, the 
breaking of a slender initial letter made us say, "In 
the multitude of lions* there is safety" — instead of 
counsellors. This character is also a very wasteful 
one for printing: the lines have to be put at such a 
distance from each other, that a small book becomes 
a large one. For these reasons we always use the 
pure Arabic style of letter when we can. But, as 
this is very disagreeable to native readers, many 
efforts are made to do printing in the Persian letter. 
Lithography has been resorted to, and many books 
and tracts have been printed by it. This is more 
expensive than letter-press, and can never be an effi- 
cient substitute for it, except for tables, &c, and 
works of which but few copies are wanted. 

Further, the Persian and Arabic characters are 
both unfit for printing, because they contain no full 
system of vowels. They may be vowel-pointed like 
Hebrew, but this is so expensive that it will never be 
practised for common works. As a specimen of the 
difficulties that assail a student using this character 



* My Munshi thought this was all right enough. He said he 
supposed that Solomon had learned that the lions would politely 
wait for each other, so that the man would have time to escape! 



IN NORTH INDIA. 49 

without vowel points, let us take a word of three radi- 
cals, say, z I m — forming a word in common use — 
zulrn. This may be read zalm, zalam, zalum, zalim, 
zilm, zilim, zilam, zilum, zulm, zulam, zulum, zulim. 
Most other words of three radicals may have all these 
pronunciations. Of course, use commonly enables us 
to perceive what a word really is; but it frequently 
happens that a reader cannot tell what the word is, 
till he has looked onward through the sentence, and 
learned it from the connection; and thus he some- 
times has to go back and correct the pronunciation. 
For this reason no readers are fluent save those who 
have had a great deal of practice; and it is usually a 
work of great difficulty to teach a boy to read even 
tolerably well. 

These difficulties had been felt before my arrival in 
India, and had caused many to adopt the plan of 
writing Urdu in the Roman character. Some dia- 
critical marks were adopted, that made this alphabet 
one of the most perfect that has ever been used. 
These marks, so far as they can be made intelligible 
to persons who are not acquainted with that language, 
are used in this work. 

The great reasons for using this adaptation of the 
Roman alphabet are — first, its economy of space ; no 
crowding will bring any native character used in 
India, into the same compass that this occupies. 
Printed in the smallest Arabic or Deo Nagri letters 
the Bible occupies two large octavo volumes ; while it 
may easily be put into a little more than half the 
same space in a good, fair Roman letter — and, if 
crowded as many English editions are, it need be no 
larger than they are. I once made a calculation of 
the expense of printing and binding five thousand 
Bibles in the Urdu dialect, in two different ways. It 
was proposed to print this number — one thousand of 
which were required for the use of native Christians, 
who could, with very few exceptions, use the Roman 
5 



50 MISSIONARY LIFE 

character, and four thousand were intended for distri- 
bution to other natives. These four thousand must 
be printed in the native character. It was thought 
by some that as there was to be an edition in the 
native character at any rate, we could not afford the 
expense of another in the Roman; but my calculation 
showed that the paper, binding and press-work, that 
would be saved by putting one thousand in the Roman 
character, would more than pay for setting up the 
type and reading the proofs of the extra edition. 
This calculation did not include the saving that would 
be made in the expense of transportation — not a 
small matter in such, and so large, a country. 

The second reason is, that there is, as already 
intimated, greater certainty of readily perceiving the 
meaning of that which is read. This mode of writing 
was promoted by Mr. Trevelyan of the Civil Service, 
by Dr. Duff, and by many others; but still it has 
met with most unworthy opposition. Some learned 
men disliked any change. There is a spirit of con- 
servatism in many excellent English minds, that 
seems to partake more of the nature of an instinct 
than of a product of reason. This conservatism is, 
no doubt, highly useful in many cases ; but it quite as 
often stands stupidly in the way of improvement. 
These men were supported by a host of others, some 
of whom were not learned, but desired to appear so, 
and therefore affected to despise the simpler and more 
certain alphabet, as if it were only a crutch for igno- 
rance and imbecility. Others had been accustomed 
to spelling native words and names, when they had 
occasion to use them in writing English, with vowels 
according to the English sound ; and were therefore op- 
posed to the sounds of the vowels in the proposed adap- 
tation of the Roman alphabet, which were continental. 
It was in vain to show them that the greatest of their 
own grammarians, Sir William Jones, and the great- 
est of the authors of oriental dictionaries, Shaks- 



IN NORTH INDIA. 51 

peare and Yates, used this alphabet — it was enough 
that they were asked to adopt a new use of the vowels 
— they could see no reason for it. In the face of 
such an opposition the reform has made slow pro- 
gress, but it has not been abandoned. It is to be 
hoped that all Christians will learn to use this alpha- 
bet, so that books prepared expressly for them may 
not need to be put into the vastly more expensive 
shape; and it is certain that all such books are easily 
used by natives educated in English, whether Chris- 
tians or not. In this way this alphabet will supplant 
the others by degrees, till the country is at last deliv- 
ered from their burden. It will also tend to throw 
into the shade impure and mischievous native books. 
Beside definiteness and certainty in spelling, the 
Roman character also affords the opportunity to use 
capitals and italics, both which are entirely wanting 
in the native alphabets, as well as punctuation. Of 
course we cannot print tracts for promiscuous dis- 
tribution in this character, as we must furnish the 
natives with that which they can read. 

The Hindi dialect is usually written and printed in 
the Deva (or Deo) Nagari, the Sanscrit character. 
This is a square, bold letter, and very much better 
for printing than the Persian, though its vowels 
are placed above and below the line, and are trou- 
blesome; and it is too cumbrous for economical 
printing. Still it is plain, its vowel system nearly 
complete, and its general appearance good. Its 
chief characteristic is, that it is written under a heavy 
straight mark drawn along the top of the word, so 
that the letters seem to hang down from the line, as 
if strung upon it. 

There is a simplification of the Nagari alphabet, 
called the Kaith% which is much used in some parts 
of the country. It is similar in form to the Nagari, 
rather more expensive in printing, less definite in 
expressing sounds, and less beautiful ; but it is very 



52 MISSIONARY LIFE 

desirable to use it in some places, because it is more 
extensively read. We were, therefore, obliged to 
have this letter, as well as those before named, in our 
printing-house. 

From this it will be perceived that we were obliged 
to have three kinds of type for printing the Urdti 
dialect — the Persian, the Arabic and the Roman. 
For the Sanscrit language and the Hindi dialect we 
have the Nagari and the Kaithi. Then English work 
had also to be provided for. All this caused the 
labour and care of commencing such an establishment 
to be very great. The work that a missionary has to 
perform in qualifying himself to use, and to superin- 
tend any kind of operations, in so many characters 
and dialects, is also not small. 

Shortly after our arrival at Allahabad, a friend, 
E. G. Fraser, Esq., assistant Secretary to the Board 
of Revenue, to whom we have since been indebted for 
many more, and more important favours, introduced 
to me a native pressman named Chand.* This man 
had left a situation not long before, and was about to 
go to Calcutta for employment; but, having married 
at Allahabad, was willing to remain there. I agreed 
with him to serve me for stipulated wages, and to put 
him upon half pay till our printing-house should be 
opened. This was the commencement of gathering 
an establishment about myself, that afterwards grew 
to something much larger and more important. This 
man continued in the press till I left it, and was still 
with Mr. Hay when I passed the place on my return 
to America. 

The next step was the taking of an apprentice. 
Any person who may have seen the little book, pub- 
lished by the Board of Publication, called " Poor 
Blind Sally," will be interested by the fact that my 
apprentice was her brother John, and will be glad to 

* The moon. The name of this luminary is masculine in Hin- 
dustani. 



IN NORTH INDIA. 53 

hear that he was foreman of the establishment under 
Mr. Hay, when I last saw it. John and his sister had 
been separated from their mother, and left entirely 
destitute, by the most distressing circumstances, and 
had been brought up in our orphan asylums. We 
took John into our house, and made preparations for 
a very small beginning of a printing-house. 

By recurring to the description of our bungalow, 
in the second chapter, it will be seen that we had 
bathing-rooms at three corners. In one of these we 
opened the English type and put it in cases. John 
had never seen a type before, and of course nearly 
all the work had to be done by my own hands. We 
set up a stand, and John commenced his work, in the 
bathing-room, on a little catechism by John Brown 
of Haddington. The press was set up in one of the 
out-houses near the kitchen. A man, named Dillu, 
was hired to assist Chand. He was quite unacquainted 
with the business. Thus was commenced The Pres- 
byterian Mission Press*- at Allahabad. We could 
not expect to get on very fast when, with the excep- 
tion of an imperfectly instructed pressman, everything 
was to be formed by my own exertions. It was a 
small beginning ; but it grew, as will be seen in the 
sequel, till it sent forth the gospel to the farthest 
corners of that part of India. 

In a short time after this, a Persian character com- 
positor offered his services. He had been a Musalman, 
but now professed to be a Christian ; and he was, in- 
deed, a member of the Baptist Church at Cawnpore, 
having been baptized by a Mr. Greenway. His name 
was Husain Bakhsh. He was a sharp and active 
fellow, with sufficient learning for the post for which 

* This was the name of the Press, by which it was known to 
Government as registered. We wished, the name to suggest princi- 
ples. I was once or twice amused by noticing the repugnance of a 
good friend to this name. He was an Episcopal Chaplain, who 
was having some work done. Still he was not violent. 

5* 



54 MISSIONARY LIFE 

he offered himself, but not very well taught as a printer. 
He would have done us good service, however, had he 
not been a drunkard, quarrelsome, and dishonest. 
Under his instructions we made up cases for the Per- 
sian type. Let printers imagine my disgust and dis- 
may, when it was found that, instead of the one pair 
of cases, which each man has before him, in setting up 
English type, we had to put up two pairs, end to end, 
and also another case at each end, crosswise, on wings, 
in order to place all the sorts. We went on trying the 
type, and soon discovered that several necessary com- 
binations of letters were impossible with our single 
letters, and that there were no compounds for them in 
the fount, although we had already a most discouraging 
number of compounds : many could be made no other- 
wise than by the knife and file. We cut, and filed, 
and stuffed paper into the vacant places made by filing 
away a part of the bodies of some of the letters, and 
resorted to many other means of making the letters 
join properly. A job had -been offered to us which 
was profitable, and which I was exceedingly anxious 
to do, and to do well, as it was the first. 

Let me here gratefully record, that the first patron 
of the press was E. A. Reade, Esq., then collector and 
magistrate of Goruckpore, and who was still in India 
when I left, a member of the Board of Revenue at 
Agra. He gave us the printing of what were called 
DastaJcs, which are a kind of summons to be served 
on those who are in arrears as to land revenue. The 
prices then paid by the Government for public print- 
ing were such, that it was well worth while to take 
pains to secure it. The dastaks contained a little table 
work, for which we had no rules. Our only resource 
was either tin cut out with shears, or sheet copper 
wrought by a common blacksmith. The compositor 
was not competent to do anything that required re- 
course to expedients ; and my acquaintance with the 
language was as yet so imperfect, that it was with 



IN NORTH INDIA. 55 

great difficulty that I understood what was required, 
or made myself understood. 

The cases were set up in the back verandah of the 
bungalow, and my attention was divided between John 
in the bathing-room, Chand in the outhouse, Husain 
Bakhsh in the verandah, and a sick wife in the house. 
But after several days' effort and experimenting, we 
were successful; the dastaks were pronounced passa- 
ble, and were printed. The labour and anxiety which 
I underwent in this thing were great, but the success 
was proportionately pleasant; and, beside this, we 
learned what were the chief deficiencies of our type, 
and were enabled to send to Serampore for the sorts 
most necessary. About the same time we discovered 
that one of the founts of English type brought from 
America was imperfect, not having a single b or c in 
it. We got these made at Calcutta; but they never 
stood very well with the other letters. 

After a few months the compositor, Husain Bakhsh, 
got drunk, quarrelled with" another native Christian, 
accused him of stealing a shawl from him, and made 
such a tumult, that we were obliged to part with him 
at once. I have never heard of him since. Here it 
may be said, that some of our greatest troubles have 
arisen from unprincipled Musalmans, who professed to 
become Christians, when they had no religious con- 
victions whatever. They are forbidden by the Quran 
to drink anything that intoxicates ; and, though they 
would have no conscience about it, yet the Musalman 
community would expel them for notorious indulgence. 
For this reason we have found that some of them have 
professed Christianity, supposing that they might then 
drink without reproach or danger. Occasionally we 
have learned, that the hope of an increased income has 
also induced men of this sort to join us. Generally 
these things are discovered before a man can make a 
profession of our religion; for missionaries are usually 
very cautious. But sometimes they have been de- 



56 MISSIONARY LIFE 

ceived. Chaplains, some of whom are mere formalists, 
have baptized men that have been nothing but a grief 
and scandal ever afterward. The following is one 
instance. 

We had a man in our employment, in the press, for 
some time as an inquirer. He had a wife, not origin- 
ally a Musalman, but of a very low caste of Hindus, 
who had become a Musalman in order to marry him. 
They had three or four children. The man urged me 
to baptize them all, which could not be done, as he 
gave very little satisfaction by his progress in Chris- 
tian knowledge, or by his conduct. He met w r ith an 
accident while drawing water from a well, by which 
his cheek bone was fractured; and he was laid up for 
three months, before the ugly wound could be fully 
cured, and then it left a bad scar. I paid his wages 
all this time, as if he had been at work, and procured 
him the best of medical attendance. After he got 
well, and urged me more and more to baptize him, I 
told him that it could not be done at present; that he 
did not seem to me like a man on whom had passed 
any spiritual change. On this he said he would leave 
me, and go to Lucknow, his native place. He was 
accordingly paid up, and we parted amicably. On his 
way to Lucknow, he called on my friend, the Rev. W. 
H. Perkins,* at Cawnpore, and wished to be baptized 
by him. This was declined, for the same reasons that 
had made me refuse. • While with Mr. Perkins, he was 
talking about me, and hinting that I was no better 
than I should be; when Mr. Perkins asked him what 
he meant. He answered that I was a most gross and 
violent oppressor; and that, if anything went wrong 
in the printing-house, I made nothing of throwing the 
mallet at any one's head, or striking him with any- 
thing that came to hand; and added: "Look here, 
sir," laying his finger on the scar on his cheek bone. 

* Now of Hampstead, near London. 



IN NORTH INDIA. 57 

"Did he do that?" asked Mr. Perkins. The man 
nodded, and said, "And for no fault too." Mr. Per- 
kins at once doubted, and dismissed him ; and after- 
wards took measures to ascertain whether there was 
any truth in the story. Both he and I, though by 
that time by no means inexperienced men, were rather 
astonished at the magnitude, malignity, and causeless- 
ness of the fabrication. This man and his family were 
shortly afterwards baptized by a Chaplain at Lucknow, 
and, as I was told, while displaying no more of the 
spirit of Christ than before. 

Another anecdote, relating to our troubles from 
unprincipled Mohammedans, will be found in the 
fourth chapter. 

Dillu, the assistant pressman, was an example of 
making a profession of Christianity for gain. He was 
a Musalman, and lived with a Musalman bad woman, 
to whom he had never been married. They professed 
to be penitent and asked to be baptized. Though 
this request was not granted, they were married in 
Christian fashion, by the Rev. James Wilson, before 
my arrival at Allahabad. After long trial the wife 
was proved to be no better than before, and Dillu was 
convicted of stealing paper from the printing-house, 
and sent to jail. They, not having been baptized, 
fell back into the ordinary Musalman community, but 
not before they had done us a damage by being con- 
nected with us. 

There was a singular case connected with this busi- 
ness of DiHu's. The paper, which he stole from the 
press, he sold to three or four persons. He was con- 
victed, and sent to jail for three months. One of the 
receivers was also sentenced to one month's imprison- 
ment. Another, when he heard of the search that 
was being made for the paper, undertook to burn that 
which he had — about five quires. Two of my ser- 
vants, the house-bearer and the printing-house watch- 
man, who were on the look-out for this man, caught 



58 MISSIONARY LIFE 

him burning the paper, and snatched it away from 
the fire when only a corner had been burned. They 
brought it to me at once. I examined it, and knew it 
to be some of the stolen paper, because it was Ameri- 
can, and there was no more like it in that region. It 
was night when it was brought; and as nothing could 
be done about it before the next day, we placed it in 
one of the common rooms of the house, intending to 
proceed in the business in the morning. But when 
the paper was examined in the morning, it was evi- 
dently not the same — some native paper had been 
burned in a similar manner, and substituted for it. 
Of course the receiving of stolen goods could not now 
be proved. The man had, during the night, bribed my 
servants to allow the exchange, so that he might 
escape. On questioning the servants about it, they, 
of course, denied all knowledge of the exchange. One 
of them boldly declared that there had been no ex- 
change at all. The other, when asked, replied in the 
indirect and twisting style of true Hindustani cun- 
ning, u My lord, what can I say?" A hundred times 
I varied and repeated the question; and as many 
times he managed to give an indirect or evasive an- 
swer. He had baffled me so long, that it became to 
me a singular trial of skill between us, and I was 
determined to have a direct answer; but "How should 
the slave know anything about it?" — "Thatw^as dam- 
aged by fire, and this is damaged by fire; and does 
not that indicate they are the same?" These and 
similar replies were all I could get. At last I put the 
question, " Do you think the paper has been changed ?" 
and demanded that his answer should be a simple and 
unqualified yes, or no. I explained to him, and 
threatened him with instant dismissal; and at last, 
when under the influence of the most abject fear, with 
the greatest reluctance he whispered No. Now this 
was the answer he meant to give all the time. It was 
not fear of lying that made him evade a direct reply; 



IN NORTH INDIA. 59 

but it was the cunning, equivocating spirit, which is 
ingrained in almost all that people, that cannot make 
up its mind to walk straight forward in either right 
or wrong. 

It was necessary to build a printing-house, and we 
had not money sufficient to do it at once, as it ought 
to have been done; but we did the best thing that 
our circumstances allowed. We put up clay walls, 
and made floors as described in the second chapter, 
where bungalows are spoken of. The roof was in- 
tended to be more safe as to fire, and more durable, 
than a thatch, and was made of tiles. These tiles I 
was advised to join with lime, and did so at consider- 
able expense; but the first rainy season brought all 
the lime to the ground. At first only two large 
rooms were built, and a small store-room for paper. 
Afterward two more rooms were added — one for the 
oriental type, and one for miscellaneous purposes. 
The floors of these rooms were soon broken up by the 
constant trampling upon them; types dropped upon 
the ground were commonly lost; and various other 
reasons combined to cause us to make the floors over 
again, using flag-stones. Our windows were only 
Venetians, and did not keep dust from the cases. But 
this was the best that we could do with the means at 
command. 

To explain some of my mishaps, it is necessary to 
tell how lime is made in that part of India; and this 
will not be uninteresting to those who are accustomed 
to that which is so entirely different. Some lime is 
made from stone dug out of quarries, and burned in 
the same manner as in America; but this is very ex- 
pensive, and is used only for whitewash, or the finest 
parts of work. The lime for common use is alto- 
gether different. It is made from kankar. This is a 
kind of limestone found in clay strata (I will leave 
scientific men to say how) in irregular nodules, rough 
and jagged, much like some specimens of what is 



60 MISSIONARY LIFE 

called bog iron ore. This is -collected, and a kiln 
made of it in the following manner. First a layer of 
cow-dung, which has been kneaded and made into flat 
cakes and dried (called kauda), is placed on the 
ground in a circle. Then a layer of the kankar is 
placed upon it; then another layer of the kauda, and 
another of the kankar; and so on, each layer being a 
little contracted, till a mound of five feet in height is 
raised. This is then set on fire, and the burning of 
the kauda bakes the kankar sufficiently to make the 
greater part of it slake. There are several modes of 
cheating in this business. First, the man who sells 
the kauda may cheat, by mixing clay or ashes with it 
when it is made. The clay, of course, adulterates the 
lime; for the kankar is so small that the whole mass, 
ashes and all, must pass for lime — there is no sepa- 
rating them. Secondly, the kankar, being dug out 
of clay, may be allowed to have a great deal adhere 
to it, which ought to be shaken off; and even lumps of 
clay may be put in on purpose. Thirdly, after the 
lime is burnt, and perhaps sold by specimen, ashes 
and clay are mixed with it. As this lime always has 
a dirty colour, it requires a good deal of experience, 
and a practical knowledge of the tests applied to it, to 
detect these adulterations. I had unsuspiciously 
bought lime that was chiefly clay and ashes, and 
therefore the cement of my roof became mud, and the 
floors soon became dust. 

I have said that there was one room in the print- 
ing house for miscellaneous purposes. The press for 
smoothing printed sheets was in this room. This 
reminds me, that at first we had no such press, and 
used a washerwoman's smoothing iron when sheets 
must be smoothed. Various other odd jobs of work 
were done in this room. But one of the main pur- 
poses that it served was that of church, or chapel. 
In it we held the Hindustani worship on the Sabbath 
for a long time. It was not convenient; and the 



IN NORTH INDIA. 61 

appearance of worldly business, presented by the 
standing press and piles of paper, was unfavourable 
to the feeling of sacredness, that ought to be assisted 
by all circumstances in our public worship. At 
length it became too small for the congregation, and 
we were compelled to provide another place, which 
will hereafter be described. 

At an early period we built a depository for the 
tracts and portions of the Scriptures that we printed. 
It was a small room of about twenty feet square, and 
attached to the bungalow. After about two years 
this was found to be too small, and was taken away. 
When it was built, none of us had any notion that it 
would ever prove too small. Such are the disadvan- 
tages of having to feel one's way in everything. 
Instead of it, we then put up a long building on the 
north side of the yard, near the house. This con- 
tained a small room at one end for the safe keeping 
of the mission tents and other apparatus used in 
itinerating. Next to this was a room of about forty 
feet by twenty, which was the proper tract and book 
depository. At the other end was another small 
room, in which the bound books of the British and 
Foreign Bible Society, and of the American Tract 
Society, were kept for sale. In this room we had our 
morning family worship in Hindustani. The greater 
part of the native Christians attended this exercise, 
and our heathen and Mohammedan servants also, 
whenever they could be induced to do so by anything 
short of compulsion, which we thought it not right to 
use. The walls of this building were of burnt bricks 
laid up with lime. Experience had taught me how 
to buy lime ; and this wall is not likely to break from 
the weakness of its materials. The back wall has no 
windows except narrow ones close to the roof for 
ventilation. Each room has a large door in front, 
and there are glass windows between them. The 
front and one end are protected by a verandah, cov- 
6 



62 MISSIONARY LIFE 

ered with tiles, and supported by slender octagonal 
stone pillars. The bricks are painted red, and the 
lime between them white, so that the appearance is 
very neat. The roof is flat. It is made by first lay- 
ing beams across at short intervals, then covering 
them with flagstones, and over them making a cover- 
ing in much the same way as floors are made as 
described in the second chapter. 

The depository, and the new printing-house which 
will be mentioned below, were built in this manner, 
because of two great dangers to which books, or any- 
thing perishable, are exposed when they are to be 
stored throughout the year. The first of these dan- 
gers is leakage. A more perishable roof might let 
through a stream of water, which would do great 
damage. Beside this, it requires such constant re- 
pairs that it is not so cheap in the end as one that 
costs a greater original outlay. 

The greater danger, however, is from the white ant. 
This little insect is ( one of the greatest plagues of 
India. It is somewhat larger than the small black 
ant in America, but nearer the size of that than of the 
larger. It is soft and watery — a finger placed upon 
it crushes it with the greatest ease without rubbing it 
at all; and yet, weak and delicate as it is, it bores 
through or consumes everything softer than a scone; 
destroys immense beams in the roofs of houses; strips 
the dry and corrugated bark off the largest trees; 
comes up through hard lime floors and attacks what- 
ever is placed upon them; enters a box, and perhaps 
in a single night, leaves you nothing but tatters and 
a quantity of clay; bores through the foot of a book- 
case, and eats to the quick a whole shelf full of books 
in a few hours. They always live in the ground; and 
some experiments, which I made upon them, con- 
vinced me that if their communication with the ground 
be interrupted, they will cease their work, and scatter 
away, unless they can re-establish a similar road to 



IN NORTH INDIA. 63 

head-quarters. The reason of this is, that they 
always cover themselves, whenever they emerge from 
the ground, with wet clay, which soon becomes dry, 
and possesses considerable tenacity. They make with 
this an arched passage, wide enough to pass each 
other in it, wherever they go; and whenever they 
reach an article they intend to eat, they cover it over 
with a sheet of this clay, under which are numerous 
arches of this kind. In these they use their terrible 
mandibles with incredible speed and dexterity, filling 
up with the clay any space they may thus make va- 
cant. In this way it often happens that a painted 
beam of timber, the outside of which they will not eat 
because of the poisonous quality of the paint, and 
which therefore externally appears to be sound, is 
found to be a mass of clay held together by the 
tougher bits of wood, that the little devourers either 
did not choose to try their teeth on, or left to brace 
their work. They make their way up through the 
walls of a bungalow to the height of thirty feet, and 
eat the grass of the thatch, filling up the space left 
with their honeycombed masses of clay, to be brought 
down into the rooms in streams of mud by the first 
heavy rain that falls, unless previously discovered and 
removed. Any article left carelessly on the ground 
over night is very likely to be taken up riddled in the 
morning. A straw, left on the ground in this man- 
ner, will be pretty sure to be replaced, before the 
next day, by a line of clay, forming a covered path. 
From all I can learn of them they do not seem to be of 
the same species with the African white ant — at least 
they do not build ant-hills like them.* A friend once 
told me that they were the same, and built their 
houses above ground when climate, water, and other 
circumstances were different from those of the plains 
of India; and that he had seen these ant-hills in the 

* One of Parley's works falls into the error here alluded to. 



64 MISSIONARY LIEU 

tract of country lying along the foot of the Himma- 
laya mountains. But when I recently rode through a 
part of that same tract, I satisfied myself that this 
was a mistake. I saw what I at first took to be their 
hills. They stood up four or five feet high here and 
there in the forest; the rain had guttered many of 
them into various angles, and left pinnacles standing 
up, so that often they presented no bad model for the 
exterior of a Gothic castle or church. But when I 
examined them, hoping to see the interior arrange- 
ments of a tribe, they proved to be but the ordinary 
work of the insects over a stump, which they had de- 
voured. For, when a forest tree is cut down, they 
leave the stump till it is at least partially dead, and 
then build over and eat it. It is supposed that the 
instinct of covering their work with clay is given to 
them to protect themselves from being destroyed by 
birds. To preserve our books and paper from being 
destroyed by these insects, it was necessary to make 
the buildings as perfect as possible, and to resort to 
various plans to keep the insects at a distance. If 
sheet-iron be placed under the feet of a book-shelf, 
they will build across it, and climb the leg. We have 
to apply tar, or set the feet into vessels of oil. The 
shelves must be placed at a distance from the wall, or 
the ants will reach them by building out pipes of clay 
from the wall. These pipes are sometimes found as 
much as eight or nine inches long. 

From time to time additions were made to the 
establishment, both of men and apparatus. A Per- 
sian compositor, and one for the Nagari, were got up 
from Calcutta. A second and larger fount of Nagari 
type was procured, as well as a small fount of Arabic, 
with vowel-points. After a time, as our business 
increased, a new fount of type did not cause such a sen- 
sation as to be noticed particularly. We were pre- 
pared for, and performed, printing in Arabic, San- 
scrit, Urdu, Hindi — the two last in two characters 



IN NORTH INDIA. 65 

each — and in English. We bought a small fount of 
Greek, and made one of Hebrew, and executed a work 
containing a great deal of both. 

The first tract printed in the Arabic letter was in 
the Urdu dialect, entitled "A'quibat ki babat" — On 
the Future State. The first in the Nagari letter was 
in the Hindi dialect, called "Nicodemus, or The In- 
quirer." Both these were written by the Rev. James 
Wilson, then senior missionary at Allahabad. The 
first thing printed in the Urdu-Roman was a transla- 
tion, by Mr. Wilson, of Gallaudet's " Child's Book 
on the Soul." Thus Mr. Wilson had the honour and 
privilege of giving their first employment to three 
parts of our apparatus. 

The constant breaking of the Persian type and the 
Nagari vowel-points, and various deficiencies which 
were continually coming to view, kept us sending to 
Calcutta for sorts. My patience was nearly worn out; 
and John C. Marshraan, Esq., of Serampore, at length 
advised me to have a punch-cutter and type-caster of 
my own, saying that from long experience he was 
quite convinced we could never carry on our work in 
the oriental alphabets without one, at such a distance 
from a type-foundry. Allahabad is five hundred 
miles distant from Calcutta by land; and in those 
days a steamer took nearly a month to get up the 
stream. This caused delays that were disastrous, 
and induced me to engage a man through Mr. Marsh- 
man, and to get moulds and other apparatus for cast- 
ing type on a small scale. This foundry turned out 
for us, from time to time, all the oriental type which 
we required. It made a fount of Arabic type of a 
size a little larger than that which we had before; a 
large quantity of Nagari, on which, before I left the 
place, we had printed nearly half of a new Hindi 
translation of the Bible, chiefly made by Mr. Owen of 
our Mission, and the printing of which was left for 
Mr. Hay to complete; a larger size of the same letter 
6* 



66 MISSIONARY LIFE 

for head-lines, &c; a fount of Hebrew, for a work on 
Scripture proper names, intended to aid translators 
in securing uniformity of spelling; and many other 
things. Two young men, who had been in the Asy- 
lum, were taught to cast, and employed in this work 
after they were married. The Hindu man, whom we 
procured from Calcutta, would not teach these boys 
to cut punches. He used to make a great mystery 
of this part of his business, utterly refusing to be 
seen at his work. In order to bring him to com- 
pliance, I hired a Bangali itinerant engraver w T ho came 
along, and set him to cutting punches. He had never 
tried it before, but soon succeeded very well; and 
under his instructions Joseph, one of the above young 
men, went to work. When the regular man saw that 
we should succeed in getting punches without his aid, 
and that we should soon be able to part with him, he 
listened to my threats of dismissal, and consented to 
teach Joseph. We were pretty well under weigh, in 
this respect, when I left Allahabad; and on passing 
it again in 1853 I found that Mr. Hay had carried on 
my scheme, and that Joseph had acquired a good 
degree of skill, and learned a trade that makes him a 
most useful man. 

The printing-house gradually grew, the workmen 
improved, and the means of doing all that was desir- 
able were constantly accumulated, till my separation 
from it. The work done at it was superior to that of 
other presses above Calcutta, until other establish- 
ments were induced to adopt improvements. The 
press gathered about itself a congregation of more 
than forty native Christians, some of them converts, 
and some from orphan asylums. Constant efforts 
were made to work in all the Christians who could 
be procured, that w T ere at all fit for the employments 
offered, in place of the heathen and Musalrnans, who 
were necessarily employed at first. It afforded 
facilities for employing inquirers. But its direct 



IN NORTH INDIA. 67 

usefulness, in furnishing tracts and Scriptures for 
distribution throughout the country, is what is mainly 
to be looked at. It has printed works for this pur- 
pose to the average amount of fully three millions of 
duodecimo pages annually. A large portion of this 
work has been of the nature of tracts to set forth 
Christian truth, or to show the untruth of heathenism. 
We published several editions of each of the single 
Gospels, of the four Gospels and Acts bound together, 
of Luke and Acts, of some of the epistles, of the 
Psalms, Proverbs, and of Genesis and first twenty 
chapters of^Exodus. For a more particular account 
of our labours in preparing and publishing works of 
various kinds, see the seventh chapter. These tracts 
and books are scattered amongst all missions, whether 
of our own Board or of other societies, from Dinapore 
and Tirhoot to the Panjab. They have been distri- 
buted in journeys, at fairs, and at the mission sta- 
tions, till they have been carried all over Upper 
India, and the effect of them has been felt in some of 
the most secluded villages in the remotest corners of 
the land. 

The press has also caused the writing of books by 
affording facilities for publication. It is with the 
surest conviction of its truth that I say, that 
many of our most valuable treatises would not have 
been written or translated, had not this press been in 
existence. When we come to the chapter on preach- 
ing, it will be seen that the missionaries have much 
time when the climate does not allow them to be out 
of doors, even if they had strength enough to be 
engaged in preaching all day; and that the nature of 
a great deal of our preaching is such that it affords us 
leisure for the composition or translation of books. 
Therefore any instrumentality that brings this part 
of their time into profitable use is most valuable. 
This the mission press did to a great extent. 

We had at Allahabad an orphan asylum, which 



68 MISSIONARY LIFE 

has already been incidentally mentioned. It was 
formed at first principally from children, whose 
parents perished in the great famine of 1837 — 8. 
This famine prevailed over the region on both sides 
of the Jumna river, from above Allahabad to the 
region of Delhi, causing a terrible destruction of 
life. The Government and private individuals did all 
that was possible to alleviate its horrors; and, 
amongst other benevolent efforts, much was done to 
collect and feed children whose parents had died or 
deserted them. Many of these children were after- 
wards reclaimed by relatives; and hundreds more 
were handed over to various orphan asylums, that 
were formed in connection with various missions. A 
large asylum was formed for girls at Cawnpore, under 
the Mission of the Society for the Propagation of the 
Gospel in foreign parts. A large one for boys was 
formed under the Church Mission at Benares. Our 
own, for both boys and girls, were formed at Futteh- 
gurh and Allahabad. There was another large asylum 
for both sexes at Agra; beside some minor ones at 
different places. Had it been possible to preserve 
the lives of even half of these unfortunate children 
after receiving them into the asylums, it would have 
caused us to have now much larger nominal Christian 
communities; but they came so debilitated and dis- 
eased that the greater part died, although attended 
to most kindly and assiduously. It was a most 
melancholy spectacle. The greater part of some 
parties of them died in a very short time, and of the 
remainder the majority did not survive to reach 
mature age. The number of people that died of star- 
vation and famine-fever during the prevalence of the 
scarcity, great as it was, probably did not nearly 
equal those who died slowly afterward in consequence 
of disease and debility contracted then. 

The female part of the asylum at Allahabad was 
then under the care of Mrs. Wilson ; and after our 



IN NORTH INDIA. 69 

arrival Mr. Morrison made over the boys to Mr. Free- 
man. The boys were all being taught the elements 
of a plain education in their own language; and it 
was intended to bring up the promising ones for 
teachers. Some • of the boys were dull, and not 
capable of being easily fitted for any literary employ- 
ment; and it was highly desirable that they should 
be taught some manual occupation, by which to sup- 
port themselves. At the same time many of them 
were so young, that, to have taken them at once to 
the press, would have made it necessary to set up 
something like another orphan asylum for them there. 
For these reasons it was thought best to have the 
book-binders work under Mr. Freeman's charge, and 
the boys do all the folding and sewing. This plan 
was adhered to till nearly all the boys, who were em- 
ployed in this part of the work, were married and 
left the asylum, and Mr. Freeman himself left the 
country to visit America, when the bindery was 
removed to the press. We had sometimes one, and 
sometimes another native as head binder; but no one 
was satisfactory. They work, as I have already said 
carpenters do, always sitting on the ground ; and all 
their processes are most clumsy and slow. The 
results, also, are far from satisfactory. We made up 
apparatus like that used in Europe and America, and 
strove manfully against their prejudices and habits. 
Yet the vis inertiae of such workmen is such as 
people in America cannot conceive of. They never 
attempted an improvement that was suggested to 
them till they were forced to it; and never were 
forced to anything of this kind without spoiling more 
or less work or material. Their wages were not 
great. We paid the best Hindu binder we ever had 
only seven dollars a month; but the work they 
ihrned out was dearer than that done in New York 
by men who made two dollars a day. Had it been 
practicable, it would have been cheaper to send our 



70 MISSIONARY LIFE 

binding to New York to be done. This part of our 
establishment I could not bring into a satisfactory 
condition ; but I left it to Mr. Hay with a Christian 
foreman, and several Christian workmen, who were 
improving. 

Amongst the last things that were done under my 
superintendence of the printing establishment was 
the building of a new house for it. The perishable 
character of the original structure has been spoken 
of before. The new one is built in the same substan- 
tial manner with the depository before spoken of. 
It has a large press-room, with a store-room for paper 
attached to it; a larger room for compositors; and 
a fine bindery. There is also a small room for an 
office for proof-readers, and many other conveniences. 
The foundry is in a room in a corner tower, so isolated 
by thick walls that danger from fire is avoided. This 
was built without exceeding the allowances for the 
press; and we were enabled to do so by taking in job- 
work. 

The practice of doing job-work was necessary for 
another reason. Having to keep men for printing 
several different characters, our allowances would not 
keep us at work all the time, and it was necessary to 
have other work to employ the people a part of the 
time; because they must be paid regularly, or they 
could not be retained. It is true that this arrange- 
ment causes the superintendent a great deal of merely 
secular w T ork. Very little help could be obtained 
from the people on the establishment as to proof- 
reading, except in the native dialects — and even in 
these their want of accuracy was often visible. Their 
education in English w T as so defective that they could 
never be trusted for a single word. The compositors 
would read manuscript, if quite plain ; but if not so. 
they would put together whatever they thought tm 
letters looked like, often making the most impossible 
combinations of letters, both amusing and provoking, 



IN NORTH INDIA. 71 

-which they did not suspect to be other than good 
English words. Mrs. Warren was my assistant in 
proof-reading; and I should often have been over- 
whelmed with business had it not been for her help. 
It often happened to me, that correspondence on 
business, the superintendence and proof-reading of 
job-work, and business connected with the treasurer- 
ship of the mission, took up two-thirds of my time. 
For this reason there ought to be a lay superintend- 
ent of the printing establishment, if the proper per- 
son could be procured. He might have charge of the 
secular business of the mission generally, and be 
immensely useful. But, though the press did hinder 
other things that might have been done, I neither 
repent nor regret my connection with it; it has been 
so useful an agent in our work that it would be wrong 
to be sorry for having been employed in it. Had I 
not had charge of it, probably I might had more to do 
with Sanscrit and philosophy, and been more useful 
than I have been in some of the higher branches of 
missionary labour, that w r ould both have been more 
pleasant, and more esteemed by the public. But such 
a sacrifice, if such there has been, ought to be lightly 
regarded. He who has been furnished with a useful 
field of labour by the Lord of the harvest, and 
allowed to occupy it so long, has every reason to be 
thankful. 

The question may be raised, how long will it be 
necessary to carry on such establishments as mission 
presses? The answer must be, till some of the native 
Christians can take them off our hands. They are 
necessary now for various reasons, especially as 
affording employment to the native Christians. But 
if any of our Christians should prove to be such busi- 
ness men that they can take the presses over, and 
gradually pay for them, doing our work and employ- 
ing our people, it w^ould be better to transfer them, 
and so gradually to disconnect the missions from 



72 MISSIONARY LIFE 

secular business. This, however, may not be practi- 
cable for several years to come. 



CHAPTER IV. 

CATECHISTS: THEIR TRAINING, CHARACTER AND USEFULNESS. 

As the plan of this work is not so much to give an 
account of my own labours, as to take occasion from 
them to give information as to the working of our 
mission, and the character of the people, the subject 
above named is brought in, although I have had no 
more than an ordinary share in this part of our 
work. 

It is unnecessary to take much pains to explain at 
length the importance of having native helpers in a 
mission, because this is generally pretty well under- 
stood. It is easy to perceive how they may be made 
most efficient agents amongst the people of their own 
countries; and how important their office is as a step 
towards a native ministry. Our mission at Allaha- 
bad made early efforts to secure the services of such 
helpers. Our choice, however, was confined to few 
men, and it was hard to find native Christians who 
were well educated, fluent, and of satisfactory char- 
acter. Although we have helpers there, who are 
such indeed, and a comfort and joy to us, yet some of 
our main trials were connected with the training and 
employment of this class of men. And as this book 
is written to gratify the reasonable curiosity of the 
Church, and to lead her members to sympathize with, 
and pray for, their agents in foreign lands, it will be 
the object of this chapter to show what a catechist is 



IN NORTH INDIA, 73 

intended to be and to do, and what are some of our 
experiences connected with them. 

Generally each mission, and frequently each mis- 
sionary, trains his catechists as he may be able, with- 
out following any plan laid down by the whole body; 
in fact, each does the best he can, according to his 
circumstances. In the beginning this was the way in 
which we were obliged to go on. Every missionary 
needed somebody to aid him in reading in the streets, 
and in the work of distributing tracts. In the hot 
and dusty towns and villages of India very few men 
can speak in the open air, in the midst of various 
noises, more than half an hour at a time — few even so 
long. Yet it is often desirable to hold a crowd of 
people longer. In this way it becomes necessary to 
have a native reader, who can read aloud the tract or 
portion of Scripture that is to be talked of, and can 
also speak under the care of the missionary. And 
when the talk is over, and tracts are offered to those 
who can read, he can afford great assistance in ex- 
amining applicants. For these purposes men were so 
necessary that many missionaries were compelled to 
accept the services of those who would have been 
deemed unfit for such an employment where a greater 
field of choice existed. In this way it happened that 
all degrees of catechists were employed: boys from 
school, who were only allowed to read to the people; 
some, a little more advanced, who could parrot a few 
trains of Christian argument and exhortation, which 
they had been taught; and some, who had an educa- 
tion, and could talk and argue, from the stores of 
their own minds, with more or less ability. 

Our missionaries felt this state of things to be 
undesirable; and at the meeting of our Synod at 
Agra, in 1848, on the second day of the session it was 

Resolved, That a Committee be appointed to report a scheme 
for regulating the qualifications and licensure of catechists; 
and that Messrs. Warren and Janvier be the said Committee. 

7 



74 MISSIONARY LIFE 

At a subsequent session this Committee reported 
a scheme, a part of which is as follows : 

The Committee appointed to report a scheme for regulating 
the qualifications and licensure of catechists, reported. The 
report was accepted, and with a few amendments was adopted, 
and is as follows : 

1. That in the opinion of your Committee a greater degree 
of uniformity in the qualifications of catechists is highly 
desirable; and as we suppose, a feeling of this kind exten- 
sively prevails, and on it the action is grounded, which has 
brought the subject before Synod: 

2. Your Committee would therefore recommend that the fol- 
lowing attainments in learning be required of those who shall 
hereafter seek the office of catechist : 

(1. ) The ability to compose with facility and general cor- 
rectness in one of the native languages or dialects— that is, the 
Urdu, Hindi, or Panjabi, writing it in the native character. 

(2.) A full understanding of, and capability of using, the 
Romanizing system now prevalent in our missions. 

(3.) The knowledge of an outline of Scripture History. 

(4.) The difference between the Mosaic and Christian dis- 
pensations. 

(5.) The knowledge of an outline of Church History. 

(6.) The same of Didactic Theology. 

(7.) The same of General History, Ancient and Modern. 

(8.) The same of the principles of Interpretation. 

(9.) And that the Presbytery should strongly recommend 
to every candidate the acquisition of the Persian or Sanscrit 
language. 

The scheme thus adopted by the Synod also pro- 
vided for the oversight of candidates, their examina- 
tion, and their licensure by Presbytery. This was 
a very fair beginning; but it is to be feared that the 
same causes that kept catechists from being properly 
trained and tried before, still operate to some extent; 
and that the Presbyteries have not yet been brought 
to take this matter up with that perseverance which 
alone can bring about a proper state of things. One 
reason of this is, that our Synod has failed to meet 
according to its adjournment. Distance, expense, 
and the inconvenience of leaving our stations, when 
there are so few to carry on so many ordinary opera- 



IN NORTH INDIA. 75 

tions, are the usual reasons given for not having a 
meeting of Synod; and at particular times there may 
be private reasons, affecting individuals, equally 
operative. But notwithstanding these reasons the 
Synod ought to have met, and seen that the scheme 
as to catechists, was carried out as well as some 
other things that required attention. It is no discre- 
dit to us as individuals to say, that we needed the 
influence of Synodical control. Present convenience 
is always operating to make us postpone and modify 
some things; and men will not act in accordance with 
a system, without control, as steadily as they would 
under its influence. If they would so act, then 
Synods could be everywhere dispensed with. If it 
were determined that Synods should meet, and each 
Presbytery were instructed to arrange matters so that 
some of its members should attend, and unite this 
object with a preaching tour, all that is necessary 
might easily be done. The home duties of absentees 
could be temporarily discharged by their brethren, 
and a part of our office (that of Evangelists) might 
be in more active use. 

It is certain, however, that something has been 
done towards carrying out this scheme; and the 
catechists, no doubt, will improve year by year. If 
some central institution could be established, in which 
all the candidates for this office could be gathered, 
and taught together, according to a scheme approved 
by the Synod, the much desired object of a higher 
and more uniform education would be secured. If at 
Agra, which is nearly central to our stations, there 
were always three or four picked men fixed, they 
could take charge of this institution in addition to 
their other duties. This would be the completion of 
the general scheme, of which our high-schools at 
Agra are a part. There might be two departments 
in the school — one for candidates for the ministry, 
and one for mere catechists. It is probable that 



76 MISSIONARY LIFE 

the high-school at Agra may produce some candi- 
dates for the higher department, as well as the native 
churches. The catechists would be much more likely 
to be regularly taught in such an institution, than 
they are at present, and could be practised, as they 
are now, in labouring with the missionaries. This 
would save a great deal of labour. Many missionaries 
are now employed in giving desultory and perfunctory 
instructions. The teachers of a theological school 
could both relieve them, and teach more systemati- 
cally. At present, also, every man uses such books 
as he can procure, and of proper ones there is a great 
lack. While we have no central institution, indi- 
viduals will have different opinions about what books 
should be prepared ; and without union nothing will 
be done. But the central institution would lead to 
efforts to supply this lack, which would, doubtless, be 
successful, and give as much satisfaction to all as the 
nature of the case admits. 

On the other hand it may be said, that there are 
many reasons for training catechists at their several 
stations. In this w T ay more may be raised up. If all 
were to be at the expense of sending their candidates 
to the seminary, and supporting them there, it may 
be supposed that fewer would be taken up. Each 
candidate might also receive more personal attention, 
and be more employed in preaching, if each were 
under the care of a separate station ; though the 
many engagements of the missionaries would render 
the personal attention somewhat doubtful. There is 
no doubt that a seminary could not combine all its 
own advantages with those of more private training : 
a comparison of the two modes should be made; and 
that chosen which offered the greatest facilities for 
accomplishing the end. And it would not be neces- 
sary to send every candidate to the institution- — some 
latitude might be allowed to the Presbyteries in this 
respect. 



IN NORTH INDIA. 77 

When the catechists, as a class, become well edu- 
cated and gentlemanly men, and exert an influence 
oa native society, visiting and being visited by their 
Hindu and Musalman neighbours, we may expect 
them to be very useful — perhaps as much so as 
European or American missionaries. We have seen 
something of this; many native gentlemen now visit 
them, and prejudice against them is wearing away. 
At first they were, of course, regarded as renegades, 
and often they have been called on to endure cruel 
contumely and scorn ; to be the subject of wicked 
slanders and reproaches; and to be persecuted to any 
degree that was in the power of men who had not 
law on their side. A catechist, labouring with me, 
has been assailed in my presence with charges of 
having forsaken his ancestral faith for the sake of 
high pay and sensual allurements. This catechist 
was working for eight dollars a month, supporting a 
wife and two children on his pay, and living in such 
a manner that all his life and arrangements could be 
easily seen; and his assailant called him a mercenary 
dog, and said that it was publicly known that he had 
thirty-five dollars a month, and a woman in addition 
to his wife. The man bore this abuse very well. 
The only sign of impatience which he displayed was 
to answer, " You Musalmans are accustomed to make 
converts by such means; so it is not much to be won- 
dered at if you suppose Christians make them in the 
same manner." His counter accusation was so true 
that nothing more could be said. I added an invita- 
tion to the slanderer to come and see our place, and 
examine into all our affairs. Lately the natives have 
slowly come to perceive that there may be such a thing 
as a native having a sincere conviction of the truth of 
Christianity ; and they generally treat the catechists 
with great consideration. 

It has already been said that a catechist is em- 
ployed to assist the missionary to read and distri- 
7* 



78 MISSIONARY LIFE 

bute tracts and Scriptures, and to speak when lie 
can. His duty also is, when his qualifications are 
above the lowest order, to go out by himself when 
the missionary cannot go. As I was employed 
about the press I could not go out every day. I 
very much wished to do so; but other duties often 
made it impossible. I therefore made constant efforts 
to keep my native assistant going without me. But 
this is very discouraging work for a native man. 
They are neither so successful in obtaining hearers, 
nor so respectfully treated when alone as when a 
European is with them. My first catechist was not 
very fluent, and of no very commanding aspect ; and 
thus was not so well listened to as to make his work 
attractive. It was with some difficulty, for these rea- 
sons, that he could be induced to work alone. Still 
a great deal is done by the catechists in this way. 
They may not be able to gather a crowd around 
them, as the white man almost always can ; but they 
get into conversation with a few. They may often 
sit down with some of the people, and discuss some 
point of truth. If they can do nothing more, they will 
keep in circulation the bruit of a religion offered to 
the people's acceptance. It is also usually their duty 
to visit the vernacular schools, and give the boys 
instruction in the Catechism, and exhort all who may 
be around, and aid the missionary in his work of teach- 
ing religious truths to these schools, which he also 
visits. Another of their duties is to assist the mis- 
sionaries at the melas, or fairs. Still another is to 
accompany the missionaries on their preaching tours. 
If he be a man of sufficient learning, he may act as the 
missionary's assistant in literary matters. Babu John 
Hari and Munshi Mirza John Bez, catechists at Alla- 
habad, were of great use to me in my literary labours. 
They assisted me to revise a translation of the Con- 
fession of Faith and both Catechisms of our Church, 
in Urdu. The translation was made by the Rev. 



IN NORTH INDIA. 79 

James Wilson, and would not have needed much revi- 
sion had it not been made on the principle of a free, 
rather than a close, rendering of the original. It was 
determined to bring it closer to the original, and at 
the same time to preserve the Urdu idiom. Any 
one who has been engaged in translation, knows the 
difficulty of such a work. These two men were long 
engaged in it with me. We often used to labour 
one, and sometimes several hours over a single sen- 
tence. Mirza, who is something of a poet, used to 
turn my prose translation of poetry into Urdu verse, 
in such works as the Urdu translation of the Dairy- 
man's Daughter and the Young Cottager. Hari has 
translated the Indian Pilgrim and Pilgrim's Progress 
into Urdu. His knowledge of English is sufficient to 
do so, except that he occasionally requires assistance 
in a single sentence. 

We have long felt that when we should have a 
sufficient number of faithful catechists, we ought to 
plant them in the larger towns around our mission 
stations. At Allahabad we often talked of several 
towns, at distances of ten to twenty miles from the 
station, at which it would be desirable to place cate- 
chists, to act both as schoolmasters and preachers. 
Another part of the plan would have been, to have 
one of the missionaries frequently visit these places. 
This was not carried out, because we all thought that 
we had no men, who could be spared from the station, 
that were fitted to work out such a scheme. After 
my departure from that place it was tried by Mr. 
Owen; but his agent proved not to have the neces- 
sary stamina and skill. Some later attempts of this 
kind have been made, which seem to be more success- 
ful; and when our native assistants become accus- 
tomed to the idea of personal responsibility, these 
attempts will be still more successful. We must take 
the risk of failures, or keep our helpers under such 
surveillance that they will fail to acquire indepen- 



80 MISSIONARY LIFE 

dence and strength of character, or a spirit of enter- 
prise. Without doubt we must prepare for, and 
execute some such scheme as this, if we would 
thoroughly preach the gospel through our districts. 
Missionaries should be set apart to the superintend- 
ence of such circles of catechists, and the means 
should be provided of travelling amongst them all the 
time when the weather permits, and of making flying 
visits to them throughout the hot season. 

After these general remarks, the reader may like 
to see some facts, connected with the catechists, 
intended to illustrate our joys and our sorrows that 
arise from this source. Some of our native helpers 
read English. This fact will show the propriety of 
my generally concealing names; though to do so will 
render the anecdotes less piquant. 

Shortly after my settlement at Allahabad, we 
received a convert from a high caste of Hindus. He 
could read very well; and after a short course of 
instruction, was set at work under the care of the 
Rev. J. Wilson. He learned readily, and spoke 
fluently; and I have seen very few men who appeared 
more zealous, or more willing to work in the sphere 
appointed for them. At the great fair at Allahabad, 
1 have often admired the patience with which he 
bore contradiction, the mildness with which he 
answered objections, and the versatility of talent by 
which he adapted his subjects and manner to the ever 
varying circumstances around him. On one occasion, 
for example, he was holding an argument with a 
Brahman, involving some points of their philosophy, 
when the Brahman suddenly uttered some sharp sar- 
casm, and followed it with the cry, " Come, brethren, 
let us leave this infidel to himself. Victory to 
Mother Ganga!" He said this with a tone of 
authority, and moved away at once, thus giving an 
impulse which a Hindu crowd is very likely to obey; 
and they all followed him, leaving the catechist stand- 



IN NORTH INDIA. 81 

ing with an unfinished argument in his mouth, and a 
half dozen boys staring at him. After only an 
instant's pause, he began, in most simple language 
and with winning sweetness of manner, to say, 
"Dear children, if these grown men despise the news 
of salvation, w r hich we bring to them, do you listen 
to what Christ says to such as you: 'Suffer little 
children to come unto me, &c.'" And he went on 
with the children till another crowd of men were 
gathered about him, when he changed his manner, by 
saying, "But this message is not to children only; 
it much more concerns you, who have not so long to 
live as they." And thus he introduced a most appro- 
priate address. 

This man married a girl from our orphan asylum, 
simply because she was the oldest girl in it. She 
was stupid, and of a bad disposition ; and he was ear- 
nestly advised to avoid her ; but he would have her, 
saying that the Bible taught us not to despise those 
of low degree. In this matter the effect of his educa- 
tion under the miserable social system of the Hindus 
was very visible; he had no notion of the importance 
of his wife's moral and intellectual character to him- 
self. He married her, and it was not long till her 
sordid disposition exercised a bad influence upon 
him. He became depressed and spiritless. Then, 
for the purpose of qualifying himself for theological 
discussions with the Hindus, he read the Ramayan, a 
mythological poem of the Hindus, and carried it too 
far; for he neglected the Bible for it. He began to 
study medicine in the Hindu and Musalman methods, 
fancying that he should some time make his fortune 
by it. We tried to reason and laugh him out of this, 
but to no purpose ; and it was not a matter for eccle- 
siastical, censure. We at length noticed a consider- 
able flagging of his zeal and energy; but he accounted 
for it by saying that he was not quite well. At length, 
on one occasion, he displayed a strange forgetfulness 



82 MISSIONARY LIFE 

of Bible history; and, as it was in public, he was 
angry at having been found out. Examination was 
made into his habits and state of mind ; and it was 
found that he had not read the Bible for a long time, 
and had forgotten many facts of its history ; and that 
he had almost ceased to pray. He was more and 
more angry at all efforts to set him right. 

About this time he was directed to go out with Mr. 
Owen on a short preaching tour, and refused, unless 
a horse were furnished him to ride. Mr. Owen told 
him that he should move but four or five miles a day, 
and should himself walk. The man answered, "You 
can ride when you please, and walking may be a plea- 
sure to you; I consider riding a luxury, and will not 
go out unless you give me the means to ride. Indeed, 
I am not bound to go at all ; I have worked here 
ten years, and ought not to be expected to work any 
longer. Give me a pension, and let me lie still the 
rest of my life." At this time he was about thirty 
years old. We reasoned with him, and did every- 
thing that could be done; and everything made 
matters worse ; an evil spirit seemed to have got full 
possession of him. At length we suspended him from 
his office and pay, because he utterly refused to do 
anything. The same day he removed to the city, 
and began to talk against us. After about a month 
he went to Lucknow, and entered upon a negotiation 
to turn Musalman. Not suiting himself there, he 
wandered nearly all over North India seeking employ- 
ment. After more than a year he came to us, and 
tried to negotiate; but was unhumbled, and we could 
not accept him. He again wandered about, and in 
one way and another caused much scandal — more by 
his gross defection from the spirit of Christianity, 
however, than by any personal vice. At length, 
after nearly two years, he came back, and made all 
the professions of penitence that could be desired. 
At this time he professed no more than he did on his 



IN NORTH INDIA. 83 

first return; but his manner was much more satisfac- 
tory — there was much evidence that his heart felt the 
confessions which his tongue uttered. He was res- 
tored, and put at his work again, under closer super- 
intendence, and on less wages. He has since worked 
quietly and steadily; but his energy and zeal have 
not reappeared to any great degree. We hope that 
he is "a brand plucked out of the fire," and that he 
will continue useful; but our high expectations of him 
are in the dust. 

This story compels us to serious reflection. What 
could have persuaded this man to act in this mad 
manner?" Either the great adversary must have had 
some special hand in it, to hinder our work, or the 
catechist must have been insane. But however it 
be, let us, in all confidence, even in the darkest hour, 
say, "they that be with us are more than they that 
be with them." 

In the third chapter of this book mention is made 
of the fact, that some Musalmans join us because 
their co-religionists will not allow them to drink intoxi- 
cating liquors. We have had experience of this in 
the case of one who, for a time, was with us, preparing 
to preach the gospel. During the Afgan war a clerk 
in one of the English offices brought a young Afgan 
into Hindustan with him. The Afgan professed to 
be convinced of the truth of Christianity, and out- 
wardly embraced it. As often happens, there was 
much in his conduct to encourage, mixed with many 
inconsistencies. On the whole we had good hope of 
him. We taught and admonished him, and prayed 
with him. The blemishes in his character were 
mainly such as attach themselves to an aspiring 
and noble mind. We therefore had patience with 
his occasional manifestations of pride, and with his 
constant desire to have more income and to be treated 
like a great personage. By degrees he became dis- 
contented with us, went to Calcutta, and sought for a 



84 MISSIONARY LIFE 

place, without finding any person to patronize him as 
he desired. Shortly after it became quite evident that 
his notion of Christianity was, that it would allow 
him to take wine genteelly after dinner, marry some 
pretty Englishwoman, and sink the Asiatic in a poor 
imitation of the Englishman. He got some patronage, 
until his character had become so much known that he 
lost the confidence of all Christians. He became Per- 
sian interpreter to a German prince, who was travelling 
in India ; was dismissed from his service for drunk- 
enness and defalcation; and afterwards I heard of 
his death as a drunkard. We must, I suppose, look 
on his case as one of unmitigated hypocrisy. We 
were certainly not to be blamed for receiving his pro- 
fession of Christianity ; and we did our best to retain 
him with us. We never perceived that there was any 
duty which we had neglected to perform towards him, 
and had nothing to reproach ourselves with in the 
matter ; but it was a sad trial to see him ruined. 

Let us turn to something more pleasant. A few 
years ago I wrote for the New Orleans Presbyterian 
an account of one of our catechists, a part of which 
shall be inserted here, without further comments. 

"My friend is something more than forty years of 
age; though he has no means of telling his age with 
exactness. The date of his baptism is known; but 
the age at which he was baptized is not known. This 
may sound very strange to people in America; but 
the fact is, that very few of the natives of this coun- 
try take any pains to remember the ages of their 
children. I have repeatedly known mothers to be 
unable to tell whether their infant children were six, 
or eight, or nine months old; and if they forget so 
soon, how wide may not their guesses be from the 
truth after the lapse of years. A very respectable 
man, as to station, and education too, has told me 
that he was about so high (holding his hand up to indi- 
cate how high,) at the time of the first siege of Bhurt- 



IN NORTH INDIA. 85 

pore ; he knew, because his father was in the army 
then; but he could not remember, within five years, 
how long ago that siege took place ; and this was 
all he knew about his age. Some families keep 
in the house a string for each child, tying a knot in 
it at every recurrence of his birth-day; sometimes 
they become neglectful ; sometimes the white ants eat 
up the strings; and sometimes a knot gets tied in 
the wrong string, and inextricable confusion super- 
venes, and so the account is lost. Poor Robinson 
Crusoe made a mistake in his notches, and could 
never ascertain his Sabbaths with certainty, and how 
much less can ages be kept in mind by a custom so 
very liable to interruption ! The salgirah (annual 
knot) is rarely tied after the mother's death. 

u The parents of Hari were originally Mohamme- 
dans, from the North-west of Hindustan. Being in 
Dinapore at the time that 'man of Grod,' Henry 
Martyn, was chaplain there, they made a profession 
of Christianity, and were baptized by him. Here I 
will not lose the occasion to make a remark, to me 
exceedingly interesting. H. has often told me that 
from all he can remember of his parents, they were 
probably nothing more than mere nominal Christians; 
or at least but very weak and imperfect ones, making 
no impression for good upon his heart, either by their 
instructions or example. But they sent him to a 
Christian school, taught him to go to church, and thus 
at least served to introduce him into the ways of 
Christianity. The character of native converts is 
often very unsatisfactory; but here we have an example 
of great improvement in the second generation. The 
church ought to be encouraged by this. 

"For several years Hari attended the school at 
Dinapore, till his parents both died, and he was left 
absolutely alone in the world. He had learned a 
catechism, the commandments, creed, &c, but remem- 
bers no religious impressions at that time. 
8 



86 MISSIONARY LIFE 

" Being now a young man, with some knowledge of 
English, he went to Calcutta to find employment. In 
this he was not successful. But he formed an 
acqaintaince with a Mohammedan teacher, who 
allowed him to hang about his house, and to learn 
Persian in his school in every way he could, and thus 
gained his favour so far that he supported him about 
three years, during which time he acquired a good 
knowledge of the Persian classics. His teacher often 
sought to induce him to turn Mohammedan, but the 
grace of God enabled him to resist the temptation. 
His worldy interest would, apparently, have been 
greatly promoted by doing so at this time; and he 
rather wonders now why he did not; but he attributes 
his preservation, as he ought to do, to the preventing 
grace of God, though he was not at the time con- 
scious of the influence of the Spirit at all, and felt no 
concern about his soul — supposing, indeed, that he 
was as good a Christian as any. 

" After leaving his Mohammedan teacher he obtain- 
ed a place in the office of the Adjutant of an Infantry 
Regiment, and then became an accountant of the 
officers' mess in another regiment. After he had left 
this employment, on account of some disagreement 
with the officers, he lived at Benares, where he had left 
the regiment, "from hand to mouth," writing English 
letters for natives, assisting them to keep their 
accounts with Englishmen, teaching a native gentle- 
man's sons English, and the like. During this period, 
of several years, he hardly ever attended church, and 
did not know the essential doctrines of Christianity 
at all — at least did not understand nor feel them. 

"At length a native catechist, belonging to the 
mission of the London Missionary Society, found 
him out, and took him to the Hindustani chapel. 
There he was engaged by the mission as a teacher of 
Hindustani, and received instruction as to religion. 
He remained in the service of that mission, in 
various capacities, till about three years ago. The 



IN NORTH INDIA. 87 

truth seems to have affected him gradually. From 
his own account it seems that his self-righteousness 
left him by degrees, and he was brought to see his 
sinfulness and misery; but at the same time, the 
remedy was applied, and he was brought to accept of 
Christ in a way altogether different from his former 
mere wearing of his name." 

After stating the way in which he came into con- 
nection with our mission, and that he was under trial 
for licensure, having studied Hebrew with me, the 
following is added: 

" Hari's character is distinguished by gravity, earn- 
estness, hope, simplicity, a want of confidence in 
himself, a shrinking from contact with evil, either in 
things or persons, which w T ould anywhere highly dis- 
tinguish a Christian man; and here, among the pol- 
luted, cunning, selfish, hypocritical, and dishonest 
people of this country, this character shines with dis- 
tinguished light. His mind is of such a character 
that he can more fully use a limited education than 
any other man I ever saw. His strong common 
sense secures him from all pedantry, and from the 
mistakes into which another might easily fall. I 
trust him with the entire management of my Bible 
class. He is the peace- maker, the arbitrator, the 
father of all my establishment. He is my 'cabinet 
council,' and prime minister." • 

Another of our catechists has a singular history. 
He is the son of an Englishman, formerly a civil 
officer of the East India Company, and a Musalman 
woman. He was brought up a Musalman by his 
mother and her friends, till he was a young man, and 
educated in the Persian language and literature, 
receiving such instruction in science and philosophy 
as the Indian Mohammedans have current amongst 
them. His father was dead; but still his slight 
remembrance of him, and a prepossession in favour 
of the English, caused him to be discontented with 



88 MISSIONARY LIFE 

his standing as a mere native; and ^e went to 
Benares, to see if he could not gain some advantage 
by joining himself to the English. An Episcopal 
missionary found him, trained him, and finally bap- 
tized him. He afterward served another mission as 
a catechist for several years; and finally joined us, 
accompanied by his mother, of whose conversion he 
had been the means, and who since has died in our 
communion. 

This is one of the most dignified, polished, and 
gentlemanly men of my acquaintance. He has the 
good taste to wear the graceful costume of the East, 
and to continue in the use of the oriental manners, 
in which he was brought up. His language is most 
polished Urdu, and his eloquence as a speaker is 
seldom surpassed. I have known a crowd of Hindus 
so carried away by his eloquence, when showing them 
the excellencies of God in Christ, compared with 
their deities, that at the close they shouted glory to 
God. He is most useful in cultivating the acquaint- 
ance of native gentlemen, carrying on discussions 
with them, and exerting a good social influence. 

Once an old man, named Hari Das, came to me in 
search of employment, and told me the following 
extraordinary story, of the truth of which I after- 
ward satisfied myself by such inquiries as I could 
make. I relate it here, because it brings out a good 
many points of native character, as well as some of 
the dogmas and practices of the popular religion ; 
and, whether true or not in all its parts, the story is 
just as good for this purpose: it might happen 
amongst the Hindus at any time. 

He said that while quite a young man he became 
entirely dissatisfied with the ordinary practices of 
Hinduism: none of them satisfied his conscience, or 
seemed likely to secure him a righteousness, on which 
he could depend. This is so common a thing that we 
often refer to it in preaching to the Hindus, showing 



IN NORTH INDIA. 89 

them that they are always ready to do some new 
thing, because they have never found an object on 
which their hearts can rest. Hari resorted to all the 
ordinary forms of worship, and practised them zeal- 
ously and abundantly; but they did him no good. 
He then performed all the ordinary pilgrimages. It 
was interesting to hear him describe what advantages 
he was led to expect from each, and how he was 
utterly disappointed by all of them in succession. 
Then, on the advice of his spiritual guides, he 
renounced the wife to whom he was betrothed, and 
became a jogi — a kind of religious beggar — and gave 
up all hopes as to the world. He had been told that 
he should find peace in doing so; but found none. 
When he had been several years engaged in this way, 
he arrived at a station where there were English 
officers residing — a kind of country town. Here he 
met a Brahman, to whom he unfolded his tale of 
sorrows. The Brahman told him that he had a 
Thakur [Lord,] who could do every thing for a 
worshipper in the way of spiritual enlightenment and 
help; that this Thakur was in a temple near the 
native town ; that the worshipper must give a certain 
fee to the Brahman, feed some faquirs who lived at 
the temple, offer certain flowers, fruits, &c, to the 
idol; fast and watch in the temple; bathe, pray, &c; 
and then the idol would speak to him, and reveal the 
secret of obtaining righteousness and rest. 

Hari Das went through all the ceremonies; and, to 
make all sure, hired the Brahman by an extra fee 
personally to attend him, to secure him from making 
anj^ error in his performances. All were completed 
the third day in the morning; and the Brahman told 
him to sit still and watch the idol till noon, and Tha- 
kur ji would answer him by that time. But noon 
passed without bringing any answer, and Hari- went 
to the Brahman and complained. The Brahman said 
that since the Thakur had not been pleased to attend 
8* 



90 MISSIONARY LIFE 

to him for his sacrifices and his prayers, nothing now 
remained but to abuse and scold him till he would 
answer. So the poor devotee sat down to this addi- 
tional task. He called the Thakur all manner of bad 
names, as he had been instructed to do; he accused 
him of being a cheat, taunted him with want of power, 
and threatened him severely. All this did no good. 

At last Hari Das worked himself up to a real pas- 
sion, through his indulgence in abusive language. He 
then said to the idol, "I begin to believe that you are 
no Thakur at all, but only an empty, ugly stone. 
There you sit, looking always the same. I make you 
offerings, and you cannot look pleased. I pray, and 
see no signs of your hearing. I curse you, and give 
you dirty abuse, that would make a gentleman crazy. 
I blacken the faces of your mother and sister in a way 
that would stir up a dead man; and there you sit 
with that eternal grin on your face, that makes you 
look like a monkey. If you do not answer at once, I 
will break your face with this stone. Do good, or do 
evil, and that immediately, or I will prove myself the 
better Thakur." And when the idol still did not stir, 
Hari in a rage threw a large piece of stone at him, 
and broke him into many pieces. His devotions, and 
especially his curses, had brought a large crowd of 
Hindus around the temple, who were looking on with 
much curiosity. Now they rushed on him with horror 
and rage. They did not care for his reproaching the 
idol: this they all do. But to offer violence to a god 
— that they did not expect, and could not bear. He 
would soon have been torn to pieces by them had 
there not been a station of Musalman police officers 
at hand. They rescued him; but could not preserve 
him from the Hindu mob otherwise than by carrying 
him at once to the magistrate, who was an English 
gentleman. Into his office the mob rushed pell-mell, 
pushing on Hari with the police officers, shouting 
Murder! murder! help! help! The Brahman also 



IN NORTH INDIA. 91 

presented himself with a basket, containing the broken 
idol, and charged Hari Das with the murder of his 
Thakur. The magistrate at first thought that Hari 
was charged with the murder of a Rajput, who are 
also called Thakur; and asked what Thakur had been 
killed. The whole matter was soon explained, as 
neither party made any difficulty about the facts. 
The magistrate then asked to have the body of the 
deceased handed up for inspection, and they placed 
the basket on the table. He stuffed his handkerchief 
into his mouth, to prevent an explosion of laughter, 
and gravely looked over the ruins of the idol; and 
then told the assembly that it was a difficult case: the 
accused did not deny the killing of the Thakur; but 
still, as there was no blood in the basket, it might 
reasonably be doubted whether the Thakur had ever 
been alive; and, if it had been alive, whether such 
injuries would kill it. In consequence of this doubt 
he would postpone the case till to-morrow, and in the 
mean time would consult the judge, and learn how the 
law should be applied to such a crime; and they might 
come at ten o'clock and hear all about it. He would 
shut up Hari Das in the jail. Accordingly he did send 
him to the jail; but in the evening rode over, called 
him out, gave him a rupee to buy food, because he 
had used all his means in worshipping the Thakur, 
and told him to be off as soon as possible, or he should 
not be able to protect him. Hari Das walked twenty 
miles that night, and never heard how the magistrate 
and the mob settled the affair the next day. 

This circumstance caused him to reject and renounce 
every form of idol worship. He took up with pure 
deism, but obtained no more satisfaction from that. 
He then determined not to wander about as a jogi 
any longer, but to secularize himself again; and ac- 
cordingly entered the service of an English indigo 
planter as a clerk. This gentleman's establishment 
was at a distance from any English station; and a 



92 MISSIONARY LIFE 

Serampore Baptist missionary was accustomed to enjoy 
the hospitality of the planter when out on preaching 
tours in that district. At this place, Hari Das heard 
the gospel for the first time, and says, that he at once 
perceived that it was just what he had been so long 
feeling after. After a time, both the planter and he 
were converted, and were baptized together. Until 
this gentleman's death, Hari lived with him ; after 
which he laboured as a catechist in various places. 

But during his long wanderings, he had acquired 
what may be called a predisposition to vagrancy. So 
long as his first patron lived, this was overmastered 
by his attachment to him ; but afterward he could 
settle in no place — something always occurred to make 
him discontented. A second bad habit was that of 
smoking g&nja, a preparation of the intoxicating hemp. 
Nearly all the Hindu faquirs practise this; and they 
often suppose the ecstacy produced by it to be reli- 
gious feeling, and smoke it more and more. They 
esteem the reveries of this intoxication to be divine 
inspiration. Hari Das was a slave to this habit ; and 
his early patron had not taken due pains to point out 
to him the evil of it, or to bring him off from it. 

It was some twenty-five years after his conversion 
when he came to me. He brought good certificates, 
and asked for any employment that would give him 
bread. I examined him, and was delighted with him. 
He knew all Chamberlain's Hindi hymns, and many 
more, and sung them well to native airs. The tears 
would roll down his wrinkled cheeks, when singing or 
talking about Jesus. With the consent of the mission, 
I took him as a catechist. He preached in a most 
affecting style. He was sent out twice with loads of 
tracts and gospels into the large towns near Allaha- 
bad, and I had reason to believe that he distributed 
them, and preached faithfully. During the middle of 
the day, when at home, he often came into the bunga- 
low to play with my little boy, then about four years 



IN NORTH INDIA. 93 

old, talking to him about Jesus, and singing Hindi 
hymns. The child was exceedingly fond of the old 
man, and would leave any other play to run and nestle 
down by him, and hear him talk and sing. 

After a few months, however, he took a turn of 
smoking ganja, which he had not before done since 
he had been with me. Under its influence he did not 
always talk discreetly, and caused scandal amongst 
our Hindu and Musalman neighbours. I had at that 
time in the printing-house some lads from the orphan 
asylum, who had somehow got a taste of this drug, and 
were in danger from it; and we were therefore obliged 
to deal sharply with Hari Das, and to hinder him from 
smoking it altogether. He took offence, and left me 
at once. I regretted it exceedingly ; for there ap- 
peared such evident signs of grace in him, that I could 
not but attribute his ill conduct to occasional insanity. 
I heard of his being afterwards employed several years 
in an English family as a children's attendant; but 
there he took offence because the family laughed at 
him for wishing to marry an old widow, who lived in 
the neighbourhood. He left them on this, and I have 
not heard of him since. I have heard that on his 
journeys he always preached against idolatry, told his 
own experience of it, and declared that only Christ 
could fill the heart. He used to tell me that he ex- 
pected to die on some journey, and be buried where 
no Christian would know of his grave; but, said he, 
" Christ will know where it is, when he comes to gather 
his people together, and make up his jewels." 

Many years since, at a time when I had no cate- 
chist, a young man presented himself to me, asking 
for employment. He spoke such beautiful Urdu, and 
appeared so clever, that I was at once much struck 
with him. On inquiry, I found that he was the son of 
a gentleman, formerly an indigo planter in Oude, by 
a Musalman woman. He had a brother with him, and 
both of them were married to Musalman women ; and 



94 MISSIONARY LIFE 

a young man, a connection of the women, also accom- 
panied them. The brothers were nominal Christians, 
and the other young man a Musalman. The one who 
first came to me was made Munshi to me, and his 
brother was placed in our English school as assistant, 
while their Musalman friend was put into the type- 
foundry. For a time all things appeared to go on 
well. The Munshi was made catechist, and was an 
eloquent and persuasive disputant. I never have been 
so thoroughly captivated by any man as by him. But 
when some time had passed, we found that he was 
getting deeply into debt. Gradually we found out 
him and his brother in various falsehoods and rascali- 
ties, and were obliged to put them out of our com- 
munion, and discharge them. A pair of more thorough 
villains probably never existed; and the extreme plau- 
sibility that enabled the chief one of them to deceive 
me so greatly, at the same time fitted them to carry 
on their villanies, so that not a tenth part of them was 
discovered until the explosion caused by their discharge 
brought them to light. My disappointment as to this 
man was one of my chief trials as a missionary. This 
case should have had a place along with other sad ones, 
had it not been for its connection with the following. 

The Musalman young man did not seem to be in- 
volved in their offences.. He had long been under 
instruction, and had made a profession of Christianity. 
When his friends went away we invited him to cast 
off their bonds, and no longer be connected with such 
disreputable men. He determined to do so. After- 
ward he was made a catechist, and laboured under my 
care for several years, giving general satisfaction. 
He has since become a catechist at Futtehgurh, has 
much improved as a preacher, and is steady and well 
liked there. 

There are several catechists in the Allahabad mis- 
sion, who were brought up in our orphan asylum. I 
do not think an orphan asylum the best possible place 



IN NORTH INDIA. 95 

in which to educate men. It seems to produce a 
character always too much prone to dependence. For 
this reason our young men have not fully met our 
expectations. But they may yet improve. And as 
they are we have had much valuable fruit from the 
asylum. One went with Mr. James Wilson to Agra, 
and died there very young, but not before he had 
gained the hearty love and confidence of all who 
knew him. Mr. Wilson always spoke of him as one 
of the most lovely Christians whom he had known. 
The assistants of the Rev. Gopinath Nandi, at Fut- 
tehpore, are from the same asylum, as are also our 
catechists who are labouring at our out-station called 
Banda. 

A catechist at Agra, who was under my care while 
I was stationed there, is a convert from the Armenian 
Church, a few families of which are settled there. 
He is a good and quiet man, very willing to labour, 
and of good character amongst the natives. He is 
supported by the Presbyterian church at Agra. 

I have no doubt but that the details of this chapter 
will seem dark and discouraging to some readers. 
Many appear to expect that all news from mission 
fields should be rose-coloured; that all converts should 
be a joy and comfort to us; and that they should be 
not only free from the evils caused by a vicious edu- 
cation and corrupt society, but even from those inhe- 
rent in human nature itself. But a moment's reflection 
will correct such an expectation as this. There is at 
least as much probability that there will be hypocrites 
amongst our converts as in the churches at home; 
that interested motives should actuate some of them; 
and that the natural evils of character, and evil cir- 
cumstances, should mar the developments of piety. 
A correct view of our circumstances will even show 
that the missionary in India must have more of these 
evils to struggle with than the pastor at home. 

It should also be remembered, that these anecdotes 



96 MISSIONARY LIFE 

contain no account of the mass of our people, or even 
of the greater number of well-behaved catechists. The 
use that ought to be made of these facts is, that the 
Church should be induced to give special thanks for 
those that are satisfactory, and to pray for special 
grace to be given to the missionaries and their con- 
verts, to guard them from ever present evils. If our 
history, a specimen of which has been given in this 
chapter, be compared with that of the apostolic period, 
we shall find a similarity greater than most people 
suspect. 

Paul was obliged to reprove the Corinthians for 
dissensions, for disorderly practices, and for allowing 
a gross crime. The apostles had amongst their very 
early converts, Simon of Samaria, whose first thought 
w T as how he tnight make money out of religion. Mark 
departed from the service of Paul, when the latter cer- 
tainly esteemed it a dereliction of duty. Paul com- 
plains of the Roman Christians, who were apparently 
frightened by the dangers surrounding them : — "At 
my first answer [trial] no man stood with me." False 
teachers arose in the churches in abundance. Demas 
loved this present world. Diotrephes loved the pre- 
eminence. But there is no need to go further : our 
work will be injured by the truth, in the opinion of no 
one who does not wish for an excuse for holding back 
from it; and the intelligent sympathy and prayers of 
God's true children will more than compensate for 
these defections, if there be any such. Let us all 
expect trials and disappointments. 



IN NOKTH INDIA. 97 



CHAPTER V. 

CHURCH BUILDINGS. AND PREACHING AT THE STATIONS. 

The preceding chapters have already made known 
some of our first expedients for places of Hindustani 
worship — one being the school-room in Mr. Wilson's 
house, and the other, a room in the printing-house. 
In Mr. Morrison's house the English service was held. 
This was a state of things that could not be other- 
wise than temporary. Amongst our plans would, of 
course, be schemes for building places of worship, in 
which all our associations would be favourable to de- 
votion, where all could assemble with convenience, 
and to which strangers might feel at liberty to come. 
And we felt persuaded that the mere sight of a Chris- 
tian place of worship would excite inquiry, and thus do 
good — that is to say, would, in a certain manner, be 
a continual preacher to the natives. The English 
congregation first took measures to build a church. 
The members subscribed liberally, and the other resi- 
dents at the station helped them very handsomely; 
and a neat little building was put up and finished. I 
made every effort to have it built close to the native 
town, or in it, so that it would answer for a Hindus- 
tani chapel as well; but it was built outside. This 
was a miscalculation, as will appear hereafter. 

The next year after my settlement at Allahabad the 
mission bought a new place for the families of Messrs. 
Wilson and Freeman, and for the two orphan asylums, 
on the bank of the Jumna, between the two parts of 
the native city. West of this place, or up that river, 
lay the old city — the city proper; and east of it, or 
down the river, a comparatively new suburb of great 
size, extending towards the Fort. The lot of land which 
we here secured, had a verv large bungalow upon it, 
9 



98 MISSIONARY LIFE 

through the middle of which we put up a new wall; 
and, after some other minor alterations it became two 
good houses. The former kitchen and buildings 
attached to it were so large that we put the girls' 
orphan asylum into them, with sufficient apartments 
for the matron, an East Indian woman, and her hus- 
band. Over against this place, but at a considerable 
distance, we built a house For the boys' orphan asylum. 
On the opposite side of a road, that was in front of 
the place, was a lot of land, that was attached to this 
estate ; and on this lot was a building, that had been 
part of an old mint, abolished when the East India 
Company made arrangements for a uniform coinage 
for India, and for making it in the European manner. 
This old house we repaired, and made the place for 
Hindustani worship. The congregation now began to 
look like one: the two asvlums had come together, 
and some other Christians were assembled. But this 
place was dark, hot, inconvenient, and of mean 
appearance. It was only intended to be temporary. 

The English congregation, mentioned above, had 
been gathered in the first place by the late Rev. James 
McEwen. This gentleman spent some time at Alla- 
habad as a missionary of the Associate Reformed 
Church, in connection with the Board of the Western 
Foreign Missionary Society. His health, however, 
never allowed him to enter fully upon missionary 
labours. He preached in English in his own house, and 
organized a church, consisting of some few Presbyte- 
rians, some English dissenters, and a few persons who 
had become dissatisfied in the Church of England. 
Two elders were ordained. When Mr. McEwen's 
health compelled him to return to America, the Rev. 
James Wilson took his place; and he was joined the 
next year by the Rev. J. H. Morrison. These gen- 
tlemen ministered to the Church, and were assisted 
by Mr. Freeman and me after our arrival. The peo- 
ple composing this congregation were almost entirely 



IN NORTH INDIA. 99 

from two government offices. Not long after they 
had completed the building of their church, as before 
related, the government offices were removed to 
Agra, which had some time before been made the seat 
of the government for the Northwest Provinces. This 
movement totally removed this congregation from 
Allahabad, with the exception of the mission families, 
and left their edifice vacant. All the families of the 
mission save one were living three miles from this 
church; and therefore the building was useless for 
English services. It was also useless as a place for 
Hindustani worship ; for, though not far away from 
the press, it was too far to be convenient for the 
native Christian women. The manners of Hindus- 
tan, as to women, are so peculiar, that decent native 
women cannot walk far from home, or go out in any 
other manner, save in close conveyances. English 
women act as they do at home, in spite of native 
prejudice ; and no doubt the native Christian women 
will be able to assume similar liberty, w r hen they can 
be recognized as Christians. Unfortunately, at pre- 
sent they are taken to be women of an objectionable 
class, and insulted if they walk out. This edifice was 
also out of the town so far that it did not attract 
other native visitors. It was accordingly taken down, 
and its doors, and some of its materials were used in 
the construction of the new church, near the Jumna 
mission-house, with the consent of the owners* 

The mission desired very much to have a church 
edifice at this place. Our English, as well as our 
Hindustani meetings were now held in the old mint. 
But almost all of us thought it impossible to raise the 
means for building. However, as treasurer of the 
mission, with its approval, I began to " nurse a church- 
building fund," to use the phrase which was then my 
favourite one in describing it. The Executive Com- 
mittee in New York allowed us to use donations 
received in India, for the general purposes of the 



100 MISSIONARY LIFE 

mission, in any local undertaking of this kind ; and 
we began to put all such accumulations into a bank- 
er's hands as an interest deposit. This Committee 
also allowed us to use a small sum, which we saved 
out of the estimated expenses of the mission during 
one year; and this was added to the deposit. When 
we had thus made a fair beginning we sent about a 
subscription, and the object was secured. This was 
a delightful labour for me; and Mr. Freeman zeal- 
ously assisted me in it, especially in procuring the 
later donations to finish the work — always a matter 
of more difficulty than the beginning. He and I laid 
out the general plan of the work; I pitched tents on 
the ground, and remained there nearly a month, while 
we arranged for burning the bricks and the lime; 
and then I left the carrying on of the building to him, 
on account of the distance of my house from that 
place. He did the work well, assisted by my cate- 
chist, Babu John Hari. The church is large enough 
to seat four hundred people in the close native man- 
ner. It is not a specimen of correct achitecture; but 
yet is pronounced pretty, and substantial, and appro- 
priate, by almost every one. It was dedicated by a 
mixed Hindustani and English service, in which all 
the missionaries present took a part, in the presence 
of all our native Christians and many English and 
native visitors. The early day in our mission history 
at which this was completed, and the small means 
with which we had to begin, rendered our success a 
subject of much thanksgiving and pleasure. 

Needing a chapel near the printing-house, in 
which the part of the church connected with this 
establishment might worship on ordinary occasions, I 
applied for a grant from the Executive Committee, 
but could not obtain one, because the funds were 
already pledged to other objects. At this juncture 
a friend offered to lend me a small sum of money 
— nearly enough for the purpose. The loan was 



IN NORTH INDIA. 101 

accepted, and a fund for repaying it was " nursed," 
as it had been for the church. The loan was paid 
when expected — the final settlement of the whole 
account being brought about by a subscription 
amongst the native Christians. For this chapel we 
secured a lot of land facing the road leading through 
the large native village near the Press. This village 
is called Kattara, and contains the native shop- 
keepers, mechanics, and miscellaneous population 
attached to the European station, beside the original 
old families, which belonged to it before the English 
gained possession of those provinces. At one end of 
the town there is but a small space between the main 
street and the back part of the press premises, where 
the Christian houses are situated; and through this 
space a narrow land leads by the side of the chapel 
to the street. This private lane allows the native 
Christian women to walk to church; which is an 
important consideration in view of native prejudices. 

Previous to the building of these churches, we built 
a small chapel at the Chauk) in which to preach to 
the Hindus and Musalmans of the city, and for a 
vernacular school. This place was built entirely by 
a subscription amongst the European residents at the 
station. All Hindustani cities have what is called 
The Chauk, and some have more than one. Some 
are wide streets, and some are open squares, near the 
centre of the town. The Chauk is the chief place 
of business. The best shops usually surround it. 
Various hawkers of merchandize frequent it. The 
dandies of the city display their fine airs and dresses 
in it towards the evening. The tellers and hearers 
of news resort to it in crowds. Strangers go to it to 
stare at the people and sights of the city. At Alla- 
habad the Chauk is a vacant square on one side of 
the principal street. The back part of the square is 
bounded by a large tank, or artificial pond of water; 
and in the centre of this side our chapel is placed, 
9* 



102 MISSIONARY LIFE 

with its back wall near the brink of the tank. The 
ground for this purpose was given to us by the 
government. Two sides of the square are lined with 
shops; and the opposite side of the street is covered 
with an arcade, in which are also shops. This large 
square, and the street before it, are filled every even- 
ing with an almost solid mass of human beings. 

Near our place on the Jumna formerly lived an old 
Musalman woman, who had been the wife or mistress 
of an Englishman. She had a house, and some jewels 
and finery, as well as a little other property. She 
became acquainted with some of the women attached 
to the mission, and was induced to attend the Hindus- 
tani services, and finally made a profession of Chris- 
tianity in our connection. After a year or two she 
died; and on her death-bed she bequeathed to the 
mission her property, a part of which had been 
already pawned to us as security for money which we 
had lent to her for her current expenses. She had 
no relatives in the world, and we had no hesitation in 
accepting the legacy. With it we built another chapel 
in Kyd Ganj, the suburb east of the mission-house. 
This chapel is on one of the main thoroughfares of 
the city. In it is kept another of our vernacular 
schools. 

At most of our stations the missionaries maintain 
English services on the Sabbath evenings, for their 
own families and the few English who wish to join 
with them, together with that portion of the native 
Christians who can speak English. At Allahabad all 
of us usually took this service in turn, so that it 
proved in no way burdensome. It is an advantage, 
rather than otherwise, to have to preach occasionally 
in English. It has also been a great comfort to our 
families to have these services ; for, though our wives 
learn Hindustani, yet very few do so to such an ex- 
tent as to render services in that language so edifying 
as those in English are. Beside this, the English 



IN NORTH INDIA. 103 

service is profitable to our catechists and pupils who 
are learning our language. Since the removal of the 
English church to Agra a few pious Presbyterians 
have been in communion with us while residing at the 
station: one, a surgeon in the army, was made an 
elder, and assisted in our session; and after his re- 
moval to another station served another of our con- 
gregations in the same capacity. A few Europeans 
and East Indians have been admitted to a profession 
of faith there. In all these ways we have the satis- 
faction of knowing that our labours have not been in 
vain in the Lord; and that our success has, indeed, 
been eminent, when we consider the small number of 
people that were accessible by this form of effort. 

When I was removed to Agra circumstances were 
such that I was called upon to be the minister of the 
Presbyterian church there — the same church that 
originated at Allahabad — for a year and a half. The 
Rev. Messrs. Fullerton and Williams gave me occa- 
sional assistance. We had three full services in the 
week. This has been the only occasion on which I 
have given up any time to other Christians than na- 
tives; and this by no means hindered my doing other 
work for the mission to a very considerable extent. 
Further mention of this people will be found in the 
eighth chapter of this work. 

Beside thus preaching English in our churches, I 
have occasionally preached to soldiers of European 
regiments, both at Allahabad and Agra, and on the 
road when they were marching. 

As soon as I could preach in Hindustani, I took 
charge of my own congregation at the Press, while the 
other missionaries carried on the vernacular services 
at the Jumna, and usually maintained a Sabbath 
morning service at the chapel in Kyd Ganj. The 
congregation at the Jumna contained the orphan asy- 
lums, the families of catechists and teachers, the 
servants of the mission families, and two or three ver- 



104 MISSIONARY LIFE 

nacular schools. The boys of the English school 
often attended, as did some men from the city. That 
at Kyd Ganj contained some families of poor native 
Christians, such as pensioned drummers, and two ver- 
nacular schools, beside many occasional hearers. This 
chapel, being on a great thoroughfare, often attracted 
those who were passing, and was a good place for the 
proclamation of the gospel. My congregation had 
two vernacular schools, beside my own people and 
frequent visitors. 

The native infantry regiments in the East India 
Company's service usually have Christian musicians. 
They are native Christians of various kinds— the 
greater part the descendants of the old Roman Catho- 
lic converts, left without any care, and very ignorant 
and depraved. Many call themselves Portuguese, but 
scarcely differ from those before mentioned. The Por- 
tuguese in India have mixed with the low caste natives 
so thoroughly, that there is left scarcely any difference 
between them : in complexion, and other physical qua- 
lities, genteel natives of the upper provinces have the 
advantage of them. Others of these musicians are 
native Protestants, who probably conducted them- 
selves badly in their missions; and others are the 
descendants of the lowest East Indians, sprung from 
European soldiers and low native mothers. Two of 
the regiments are stationed at Allahabad, but not 
always the same, as it is customary to change the can- 
tonments of all the regular regiments of the line every 
two or three years. Some of the musicians cannot 
speak English at all, and the greater part of them but 
imperfectly. 

I procured leave for them to attend my service, from 
their commanding officers, when possible. The cate- 
chists often assisted in efforts for this class. There is 
no doubt but that good was done in some instances. 
One family of six persons publicly renounced popery 
in my chapel; but as this was near the close of their 



IN NORTH INDIA. 105 

residence at Allahabad, they were not admitted to full 
membership. They pledged themselves, however, to 
attend Protestant worship wherever they went. I also 
held meetings frequently at their houses. One Musal- 
man woman, who was intimate with the people of one 
of these bands, was converted, baptized, and married 
to a drummer. This part of my congregation was 
irregular, because some of the regiments were more 
inaccessible than others; but they often added largely 
to my sphere of labour. 

At first, one Hindustani sermon in a week, and a 
Bible class, was as much as I could prepare for. After 
a time, a week-day evening service was added; and 
finally a second service on the Sabbath was substituted 
for the Bible class, and the want of this was supplied 
by exposition of the portions of Scripture read daily 
at our morning worship. Occasionally I exchanged 
with those who preached at the other places; and fre- 
quently Babu Hari, the catechist, who after a time 
became a licentiate, took one of these services. 

The different forms of preaching done directly for 
the Hindus and Musalmans, are next to be described. 
It is with sorrow that I have say, I could not do so 
much of this as I desired. Having charge of the press, 
being treasurer of the mission, and often having much 
other secular work to do for the mission, beside being 
pastor of a small congregation, it was sometimes im- 
practicable to find any time when it was possible for 
me to go out to preach for three or four days together. 
And often, after a hard day's work in an exhausting 
climate, there was not strength or energy sufficient to 
carry me to the city or the bazar, if there were time. 
Six hours' steady employment at a desk is considered 
a hard day's work for a European in that climate; 
and I often spent ten, and rarely less than eight, be- 
sides the duties that my family required, and all the 
time spent in actual preaching. Another hinderance, 
which I sometimes felt, was the want of a horse, to aid 



106 MISSIONARY LIFE 

me in visiting the more distant villages. Walking to 
them, through the greater part of the year, is quite 
inconsistent with a due regard to health. And if one 
were to walk out and preach at a distance, by the time 
he reached home he would be unfit for the labours con- 
nected with the press or translation. Every mission 
ought to be authorized to allow to each man, who is 
qualified for this business, a horse and light vehicle to 
carry him and his catechist to their work. It would 
double their efficiency in this department. At Saha- 
runpore, they have a kind of car drawn by one horse, 
that goes to the city every day, carrying the two mis- 
sionaries and two or three catechists, or as many of 
them as can go. I neglected to learn how this is sup- 
ported ; but it is a good thing, and immensely increases 
the effective labours of the station. Sometimes the 
missions furnish a horse to assist the superintendent 
of the city school, when he lives at a distance from it; 
and this is a principle, the operation of which ought 
to be extended. 

There are various ways in which we preach to the 
heathen. Probably the readers of this book have 
some notion of them; but still it may be well to bring 
them together into one view. For this purpose let us 
begin with street preaching. 

When about to engage in this, the missionary and 
catechist take their stand in the verandah of a cha- 
pel, or school-house, or a place hired for the purpose, 
beside a frequented thoroughfare, or at the chauk, 
and resort to various plans to gain an audience. 
Often the catechist begins to read some tract aloud; 
sometimes the missionary accosts some man who is 
passing, with an observation about his health, the 
weather, or any common subject; and the people stop 
to listen. Frequently the people gather around of 
themselves, on merely seeing the party. When 
several are collected the missionary or catechist gives 
such a turn to the reading or conversation, that it 



IN NORTH INDIA. 107 

slides into a continuous speech. When he is tired, 
the other takes it up. When sufficient time is passed 
in this way, tracts and Scriptures are offered to read- 
ers who desire them. Care is taken to see that appli- 
cants can read, and also that they seem anxious to get 
a book ; except in some cases, when people from a dis- 
tance promise to carry the book to some friend at home 
who can read; or a disputant is furnished with a tract 
on a particular subject under discussion, and which he 
may be induced to promise to read. The whole Bible 
is never, and the entire New Testament very seldom, 
offered on these occasions ; but portions of them, such 
as those mentioned in the chapter on the press. 

This is the course that all aim to pursue; but they 
are always liable to many interruptions. The hear- 
ers will often break in with questions and objections. 
W'hen the questions seem to be put with a real desire 
to hear a more full explanation of any point, they 
are always answered; but if they are merely factious 
ones, intended to interrupt the preaching, as is often 
the case, they are evaded if possible: the missionary 
tells the audience that the question is out of place 
— does not refer to the subject in hand; or that he 
will be glad to take up the subject when he is done 
with the present one; or he hands over a tract, saying 
that that contains the answer, which may be read at 
leisure. But it is not always easy to get rid of a 
man who is determined to cause an interruption; he 
often insists on an answer, and becomes noisy. He 
perhaps pushes himself forward, looks to the right 
and left for support, gesticulates violently, and 
declares that he has floored the missionary, who can- 
not answer his questions ; and it becomes necessary 
to take up the subject thus thrust forward, often to 
the partial or total eclipse of the original one. It 
requires a great deal of skill, good temper, tact and 
discretion, as well as information, to manage such a 
discussion well. A ready use of the native language 



108 MISSIONARY LIFE 

also is most important in snch cases. If the mis- 
sionary hesitates for a word, his opponent will have all 
the more opportunity to push his objection ; and he 
will generally be quick enough to perceive his advan- 
tage, and to seize upon it. To lose one's temper, to 
give anything short of a conclusive answer, or to 
stumble and become confused, are destructive of all 
hope of making an impression at that time, and will 
usually cause a scattering of the audience. 

The temper is often tried by men and boys, who 
evidently seek a kind of notoriety by opposing the 
missionary. Perhaps he may be talking on the 
necessity of an atonement for sin ; when, in the midst 
of his argument, with a crowd of people listening with 
apparent interest,, a Musalm&n will break in with — 
"You believe in two Gods— you make Jesus to be 
God." The missionary takes no notice of the remark, 
hoping that it will not be repeated. "Oh yes, you 
are like the idolators— you make a man God." No 
answer. "You see, brethren, this preacher wishes to 
slur over an evident fact: I have said he believes in 
two Gods, and he cannot answer me." Then, taking 
courage, he keeps up a vociferation, till the multitude 
becomes confused. Here the missionary must stop, 
and answer the objection, or postpone it, or appeal to 
the people to stop it as irrelevant, which they will 
sometimes good-naturedly force the objector to do. 
But, whichever of these things may be the result, the 
opposer has gained his end, of showing himself off as 
clever and zealous, and a certain amount of hinderance 
has been thrown in the way of the truth. Or, pro- 
bably some objection is made to what is said, and the 
objector will insist on having an opportunity to state 
it. At such a time if the missionary allow himself to 
be hurried into an answer too soon, the result often 
is a small running fire on both sides, which may sub- 
serve some of the designs of more formal preaching, 
but as surely defeats a part of them. When an 



IN NORTH INDIA. 109 

objector seems to be very full of matter, and always 
has something to add as often as the preacher begins 
to answer him, and complains that he is not allowed 
fairly and fully to bring out his objections, it is fre- 
quently best to say, "Well, you may state all you 
wish, on the condition that you do it all at once, and 
then let me answer without interrupting me." If he 
consents to this, the preacher will then call on all the 
people to see fair play, and keep him to his agreement. 
Then the man begins, after promising that he will 
talk a long time now that he has the ground, and 
attempts to make a great speech; but frequently 
breaks down in two minutes. Thus the same man, 
who would have conversed and wrangled for an hour, 
is silenced by being allowed to talk as long as he will 
without interruption. Then the missionary asks, 
"Are you done?" "Yes." "You are ready to con- 
fess that you have had the opportunity you demanded, 
and have said what you wish to say?" "Yes." 
After this the preacher can answer him in quiet. If 
the opponent attempts any further interruption 
before that subject is disposed of, the people will gen- 
erally insist on his keeping silence, that they may 
hear the preacher's answer. But now and then the 
result is different: several objectors encourage each 
other, and make a noise out of enmity and spite, and 
seriously hinder us. This, however, does not often 
happen : the speaker has often to deal with difficul- 
ties — seldom with impossibilities. 

Sometimes the missionary and his assistant are 
obliged to take their stand simply in the street, for 
want of a place that may be hired for this purpose. 
I have many times stopped in front of a shop, to talk 
with the people in it ; and, after introducing some 
ordinary topic of conversation, have been invited to 
sit down. The people readily gathered about, out of 
curiosity; and then I stood up and preached. At 
other times we begin, in something like the manner 
10 



110 MISSIONARY LIFE 

of public criers, without preface or help, and do the 
best we can. 

We almost always obtain an audience; but occa- 
sionally people are busy, or some noisy opponent dis- 
gusts them, or we make an unskilful and uninteresting 
beginning, and the people will not remain. This, 
however, seldom happens. 

Our opponents are usually respectful in word and 
manner; but the reverse of this happens too, and 
causes great trials of patience. On one occasion, 
when I was preaching in the verandah of the Chauk 
chapel, with a good audience, principally Mohamme- 
dans, a man pushed his way up to me from the back 
part of the crowd, and interrupted me without preface 
or apology, by saying, "You are a liar and rascal, 
sir; you preach a corrupt book to the people. Hear, 
brethren; this fellow pretends that Christians are 
superior to us in morality, and that their book is holy: 
but in truth it allows a man to take his mother for a 
wife, and to steal." The suddenness and grossness 
of this attack both startled and made me indignant. 
I should be less than a man if I had not to confess 
that my temper was seriously tried. Therefore I 
answered him, in his own style in a measure — "You 
know that to be a gross slander and a falsehood. 
What induces you to be guilty of such conduct as 
this?" 

He answered, "What I say is true, and you know 
it to be so." 

I asked, "Have you read the gospel?" 

He said, "Yes; I have carefully examined it; I 
know as much of it as you do; I have gone over it 
with great attention more than once, and am prepared 
to prove that Christian pretensions to pure morality 
are all a lie, and that the book allows the grossest 
licentiousness and dishonesty." 

I induced him to repeat his specific charges, and 
then asked him to point out the places on which they 



IN NORTH INDIA. Ill 

were founded in an Urdu New Testament, which I 
held out to him. By this time I had quite mastered 
my temper. He refused to touch the book, affecting 
to be struck with horror at it, as polluting, and saying, 
"Turn to the places and read them out yourself: you 
will find that the seventh chapter and fifth verse tells 
a man to marry his mother, if she be a widow, and 
cannot procure another husband; and the sixteenth 
chapter and eighth verse says that stealing is lawful 
to a poor man." 

I asked him in what book these things were to be 
found ? 

He said, "In the New Testament." 

"But in what book of the New Testament?" 

He replied, "Now you are trying to mystify. The 
New Testament is a book, is it not? What do you 
mean by asking about its books? You are a tricky, 
dishonest fellow. See, brethren, how he twists." 

"Then in what tract, or division of the book?" I 
asked. "You know that the book is made up of seve- 
ral small tracts ; in which of them are the things you 
have mentioned?" 

He said that I was lying; the book was not so 
divided; all he knew or would say was, that the ob- 
jectionable matter was to be found in the chapters 
and verses he had named; that I could find and read 
them out to the people if I dared to do it ; and that 
it was all nonsense and trick to pretend that a book 
had more than one chapter of a given numbering. 

Then I said, " Very well; I will read those verses 
aloud" — and I did so from the gospel of Matthew. 

On this he exclaimed, " You are an infamous and 
lying scoundrel. You are not reading from your pre- 
tended gospel at all." 

On this I appealed to several men, who were 
standing by, and told them that they had seen, and 
at least partially read, the New Testament; and that 
I would leave it to them to say which of us was the 



112 MISSION AEY LIFE 

liar. He vociferated, and repeated his tale. I knew 
that several in the crowd were well aware that I was 
right, and I calculated on their sense of honour. 
And I also knew that I must do something decided, 
or the greater part of the crowd would believe him ; 
and I was very thoroughly roused. Beside this, I 
thought that this was the time to " answer a fool 
according to his folly" — -to " rebuke sharply/' Ac- 
cordingly I began, not on a mere impulse of anger, 
but by calculation, to pour out on him a torrent of 
rebuke. He tried to silence me by noise, and I met 
him with noise — the only time that I ever entered 
into such a, contest. When he became silent, I coolly 
repeated, that he was a black-hearted and horrible 
liar. I showed the book, explained its divisions, and 
proved to the people that he could never have read 
it. I pointed out the grossness of his attack; and 
showed from it that he could be no gentleman. I 
reminded them of his pretensions to learning, and 
how ridiculously he had failed to make them good. 
Then I closed by saying that if he had displayed 
the tendency, spirit and morality of Mohammedan- 
ism, they had better forsake it. The consequence 
was that they refused to hear a word from him in 
explanation; told him that he had disgraced their 
cause, and hustled him out of the ring. 

There are two things that helped to explain some 
parts of his conduct. The Sunni, or orthodox sect of 
the Musalmans, accuse the Shias of holding the very 
same corrupt doctrines, which he charged upon the 
New Testament. This was the thing that suggested 
to him the charges with which to interrupt me. 
And there had recently been several tracts published 
against us and the New Testament at Lucknow, the 
place of this man's residence, in which the most gross 
and reckless charges had been made; and he had 
probably been reading them till he thought he had 
such an idea of the New Testament that he could 



IN NORTH INDIA. 113 

appear to be well acquainted with it. Indeed, so 
shockingly false are these Mohammedan contro- 
versial works, that it would be no wonder to find in 
them the identical charges which he made, and the 
same references that he mentioned. It is a singular 
fact, that this man, after this scene, during his stay at 
Allahabad, attended my preaching several times, and 
was peaceable; and even called on me, and received 
the gift of a New Testament and some tracts. 

On another occasion a Hindu said to me, "You are 
a great fool to preach about Christ. He tried for 
three years to gather a sect of followers, and when he 
found his effort a complete failure, he cut his throat 
in disgust." Another once said tome, " You have 
said to us that our gods are no gods ; I should very 
much like to kill you." In this case a soft answer 
completely disarmed the man. 

It is very common for us to be told that we are 
liars, or that an assertion of ours is a lie ; but we get 
used to this, and do not regard it very much, though 
at first it is hard for one with the feelings and educa- 
tion of a gentleman to bear it patiently. We soon 
learn that a native opponent does not suppose himself 
to be insulting us by giving us the lie; amongst them- 
selves it is a common part of conversation. And 
they all hold the doctrine that the end justifies the 
means, and despise an opponent who does not lie 
when he can do so with good effect. Therefore 
they look upon falsehood as a perfectly natural and 
justifiable weapon in argumentation, and can hardly 
conceive of our never resorting to it. They cannot 
feel confidence in the asseverations of any man, 
because they themselves are so thoroughly mendaci- 
ous. They must have a good deal of experience of 
our truthfulness before they will consider a profes- 
sion of it to be anything more than the greatest con- 
ceivable falsehood. This is at first a great disadvan- 
tage in preaching to them. 
10* 



114 MISSIONARY LIFE 

There were two large villages near my house, iu 
which I preached oftener than in any other near Al- 
lahabad. The cross-roads in these villages were good 
places in which to gather audiences. But we had to 
stand on the level of the street: we were not able to 
hire a place on either of the corners. It would be well 
to purchase corner shops in such places, even at twice 
their value. At Agra my experience in this respect 
was not different. I had three favourite places : two 
in frequented streets, and one at an old gate of the 
city, through which many people passed to get water, 
and to visit some temples outside. At both cities I 
sometimes visited the temples, and talked to the wor- 
shippers. Large audiences cannot usually be obtained 
at these places, except on festival days. 

The other missionaries frequently went out to preach 
in the streets more than I did. I do not know that 
their experience, or their modes of procedure, differed 
from mine. I have told my own experience, not be- 
cause I suppose it to be peculiar, but as a specimen of 
this work. 

We often also preached at the ghats. These are 
landings, or bathing places on the river bank. Some 
of them are flights of stone, or brick steps, built by 
rich Hindus, " for a name," or to gain religious merit. 
Other ghats are mere slopes dug down through the 
bank to the water. These are good places to preach 
at in the morning, because all Hindus go to some one 
of them to bathe every morning, when it is at all con- 
venient. Most missionaries frequent them when they 
can. It is at such places that women can be got to 
hear. They will not usually seem to attend; but if 
if one chooses his place judiciously, they can hear him 
while they are undressing, or dressing,* or pretending 

* The Hindi! women bathe with a cloth around the loins, one 
end of which is drawn over the shoulder, and covers the greater 
part of the chest. When they come out of the water, they hold a 
dry cloth of the same kind around themselves as a screen, and 



IN NORTH INDIA. 115 

to gossip. This is almost our only opportunity to 
preach to the women ; though I have had an audience 
of them more than once, when preaching at a place 
called Alopi Bagh, near the fort at Allahabad. On 
one morning of every week, great numbers of them 
visit this place to worship a form of Bhawani, or 
Durga, and to bring sickly children, in the hope of 
getting the goddess to remove her evil influence from 
them. But generally the women are very shy, and 
stand gazing at a distance. 

Beside these, there were services at the Chauk 
chapel. It is common for missionaries, who have 
chapels in places much frequented, to hold evening 
meetings in them. They go to them at stated times, 
taking with them some native Christian friends, beside 
the catechist, if possible. Before dark there is preach- 
ing and disputation in the verandah, similar to the 
street preaching described above. When it becomes 
dark, the audience is invited to go inside and sit down, 
and listen to a regular discourse. The service on these 
occasions consists of reading the Scriptures, singing, 
and praying. The singing usually draws the people 
into the chapel very much. Then a sermon is deli- 
vered, and opponents are not allowed to speak; though 
after the service is closed, they may ask questions. I 
often went to our chapel at the Chauk in this way. 
This is in some respects by far the most satisfactory 
form of preaching ; though the audience is very fluc- 
tuating — the people come and go without much regard 
to order. 

Preaching in the villages around Allahabad ought 
also to be mentioned. This city is placed like Pitts- 
burgh, Pennsylvania, at the confluence of two rivers; 
but only the fort occupies the place precisely similar 

drop the wet one while fastening the dry. They seem to have no 
idea that there is anything immodest in this; and the men, who 
may be near, are never guilty of any rudeness to them. The cus- 
toms of the country in this respect are admirable. 



116 MISSIONARY LIFE 

to the situation of Pittsburgh. The city of Allaha- 
bad is about a mile and a half from the fort on the 
bank of the Jumna. The eastern suburb, named 
Kyd Ganj, before mentioned, extends down the 
Jumna to within about half a mile of the fort. 
Above the city and station the Ganges approaches 
comparatively near to the Jumna, and then retreats 
from it, and makes a long detour, before they meet 
below the fort. Thus Allahabad, both city and 
English station, stands in a kind of peninsula. The 
village of Kattara, near which the press is, is very 
near the centre of this peninsula. Besides the two 
large villages, (forming in fact a town of some five 
thousand people,) that stand in the centre, there are 
about thirty of different sizes within three miles of 
the press. Some of these villages are close to the 
back of the city ; some are on the great northwestern 
road that leads out from the station; some are on the 
bank of the Ganges in a great semi-circle on the 
east and north of the station ; and some are scatter- 
ed here and there throughout the area. The whole 
space, except the building spots and a few ravines, is 
covered with magnificent fields and groves; even the 
broad sand-banks, left by the river during the dry 
season, are at times fully clothed with a luxuriant 
crop of melons and similar articles. This is as great 
a field of labour as any' one missionary and a cate- 
chist need, to keep them employed all the time: they 
could not visit all these places in the mornings of a 
month. Through this tract I preached as much as I 
could — not as much as was needed, by a great deal, 
but as I had time, strength and means. In some of 
the places, where the people congregated at some 
public sitting place in the evening, I went at that 
time; but the greater part of the places were visited 
in the morning. Generally I found an opportunity 
to gather a congregation before the door, or in the 
yard of some house. Often a great part of the 



IN NORTH INDIA. 117 

people were absent in the fields, but some could 
always be found. One of these villages, about a mile 
and a half from the press, had in it one of our ver- 
nacular schools ; and here I always had something to 
do when I could go. In these places we have to pro- 
ceed very much as in the streets of the city and 
towns. The people perhaps are a little less disputa- 
tious; but then they are less intelligent also. 

For some time I kept a riding horse, being directed 
by our physician to do so on account of a tendency 
to disease ; and then I used to talk with people whom 
I found on the road. On some occasions this kind of 
effort was very successful as to obtaining hearers. 
On many occasions I have had very interesting con- 
versations with people on the road. As specimens I 
will here insert a few extracts. 

"A decent looking, well-dressed woman was walk- 
ing near me, with a light walking-stick on her 
shoulder, from the upper end of which depended a 
small red bag. I asked her what she had in it. She 
answered me, 'My husband, Sahib.' 'What?' said 
I, 'your husband?' 'Yes,' she replied, 'my lord's 
ashes.' Strange as this scene may seem to those who 
read this in America, it was not strange here. The 
woman herself, though grave, yet spoke calmly about 
it, and as if it were a matter of course; and of the 
many people who were near us, no one made any 
remark. I was touched with a strange feeling of 
respect for, and of sympathy with, the poor woman, 
though what she was doing was quite idolatrous, and 
could not easily clear my throat to carry on the con- 
versation." [She was carrying the ashes to throw 
into the Ganges, her husband having died at too 
great a distance from the river to be burned on its 
brink.] 

" 14. — Very shortly after leaving the house, I 
overtook a man who was walking fast, and repeating 
Sita Ram ! Sita Ram ! as fast as he could. I asked 



118 MISSIONARY LIFE 

him if he wanted anything? He said, Yes; his land 
had become very poor; he himself so devout, he 
could not attend to his business ; and his son so bad 
a manager that the family was fast getting into debt; 
and he was calling on Ram for help. I told him that 
Ram came to destroy Rawan, and not to help poor 
sinners ; that Jesus was the sinner's friend, &c. His 
attention was strongly attracted, and he promised to 
inquire about the way I pointed out. Paid my whole 
attention to him alone for this morning. He lives 
about fifteen miles from the city." 

" 19. —This morning rode out on the Lucknow 
road. A little way from home overtook a party of 
two men and two women. Accosted them, and 
learned that they were from some distance beyond 
the Ganges, and had never heard anything particular 
of the Saviour. Talked to them about him, and 
having induced them to tell me something, which I 
knew very well before, about their gods, I went into 
a comparison of them with the Lord Jesus Christ." 

44 23. — Overtook three Musalmans from the city, 
and had a long discussion with them, in which they 
did not hesitate to deny that passages which made 
against them were in the Koran. Left them with 
but little hope. Tried to get up a talk with a Hindu 
soldier; but he answered everything with a full and 
formal military salute, and a 'Your honour knows 
everything.' Obliged to leave him without being 
sure that I had communicated one idea to his mind." 
" Passed on, and found a man and woman in the road, 
who told me they were from the neighbourhood of 
Cawnpore, and had come down to bathe at the junc- 
tion. I asked the man what benefit he expected 
from it; and he told me his expectations were alto- 
gether indefinite; he came because all the world came. 
Are there not many like him in all lands — guilty of 
folly and sin, because they wish to be like all the 
world ? He had never heard of Christ before. His 



IN NORTH INDIA. 119 

wife listened, but said nothing. Several others came 
up, and I talked to them till it was time to turn about 
for home." 

One of our special forms of labour is preaching at 
fairs. This is practiced by all our missionaries when- 
ever the opportunity offers. There are a great many 
minor assemblages, all over the country, for religious 
purposes. The greatest of all is held at Allahabad, 
during the Hindu month Magh, which falls in Janu- 
ary and February. An immense multitude of people 
used to assemble here to bathe on particular days at 
the junction of the Ganges and Jumna. They be- 
lieve that the Saraswati, which sinks into the sands 
before proceeding far from the hills, here joins the 
other two holy rivers, having proceeded under the 
ground. A full description of this fair cannot be 
given here ; and therefore I will content myself with 
giving an idea of the way we labour at such places, 
by inserting some extracts from articles heretofore 
written on the subject. 

" Every twelfth year there is usually a larger 
assemblage of people here than on other years; and 
as this is the year [1847], we were expecting a very 
much larger meld than we have had two or three 
years past; but we were agreeably disappointed — 
this mela really seems to be going out of fashion — 
bathing at this 'king of junctions' seems to be less 
esteemed than formerly. When I first came to this 
place the assemblage of people was very great — I 
well remember being almost crushed in the press a 
very little way from our preaching place; and four or 
five years ago it was no uncommon thing to be obliged 
to get out of one's buggy two or three hundred yards 
from the embankment on which we pitch our tents, 
because the crowd of people was so great that it was 
next to impossible to get on. But there has been a 
regular and great falling off ever since. It is 
amusing to hear the excuses given for this, at differ- 



120 MISSIONARY LIFE 

ent times, by the Pryagwals [the Brahmans who 
attend as priests at the junction.] One year it was 
the Gwalior war ; another year it was said, that the 
pilgrims from the North and East had suffered so 
much from cholera the previous year, that all the 
people in those parts were frightened, and kept away; 
and last year it was the Punjabi war that made the 
mela so contemptible; — what they will say now, I 
cannot guess. 

"To what is this decrease in the attendance to be 
attributed ? It would be flattering ourselves beyond 
measure to believe that our preaching here has been 
the sole cause. But I believe that this decrease is to 
be attributed to the efforts that are being made to 
enlighten the country. I take it to be an indication 
that the preaching here, at Hardwar, and other great 
melas; at the several mission stations; and in preach- 
ing tours — together with the distribution of books, 
has not been without effect. I shall labour with more 
courage — shall give out books more hopefully, as 
long as I am permitted to remain in India, on 
account of what I have seen and heard this year. 
Last year we could not say confidently that the Sikh 
war did not occasion the thin attendance; and the 
natives told us not to exult yet, but to wait and see 
the Kumh mel4. We have seen it — and it is not 
near the average of common years, at least, five or 
six seasons ago. 

"Still let no one suppose that this fair was a 
trifling matter. It was far otherwise. I went to the 
summit of the embankment at the eastern angle of 
the fort, which commands a good view of all the 
mela ground, and looked over it. The junction this 
year is far below the fort, between which and the 
Ganges is a tract of land measuring, I should think, 
about a half a mile (more rather than less) by a mile 
and a half; and this tract, usually destitute of all 
signs of human habitations, had been covered by a 



IN NORTH INDIA. 121 

great temporary city, made of grass huts, shops of 
grass or cloth, tents, faqirs' enclosures, &c; and cir- 
culating through its dusty lanes and avenues a multi- 
tude of people, greater than are ever seen together 
in America on any occasion whatever. There was no 
lack of people to speak to, nor of work to be done. 

" Messrs. Owen, Freeman, and I, with our native 
assistants, have been in as constant attendance as 
possible. We had two tents set up, and have had 
constantly a congregation, whenever any of us have 
been there. We have addressed them about the 
character of God, and the worship he requires; 
about the character of man, and the kind of Saviour 
he needs; about the miracles, instructions, life, death, 
and resurrection of Christ ; about the sin and folly of 
idolatry; about the evil nature and effects of Hindu- 
ism, and the beauty and glory of Christianity. We 
have made set speeches to many attentive and crowd- 
ed audiences; we have sometimes conversed familiar- 
ly with some one man, while scores of others listened; 
we have read to them ; we have set them against each 
other, and taken advantage of their division. In 
every way (except by pious frauds) we have en- 
deavoured to set forth, illustrate, and enforce the 
truth; and that God would 'set it home' to their 
hearts ! 

" Besides the services at the two tents at the mela 
ground, brother Owen has been attacking the enemy 
in flank, by having a service every morning in the 
Kyd Ganj chapel. The road from the city to the 
mela ground passes this chapel, and consequently a 
constant stream of people was to be encountered 
there. Brother Owen took Paul with him usually; 
and generally two or three old women, native Chris- 
tians, who live near, were present. These women 
are Roman Catholics — have been drummers' wives, 
or something of the sort, and now live on pensions 
from government. Brother Owen says, that he 
11 



122 MISSIONARY LIFE 

usually gave out a hymn, which he and Paul sung, 
and these poor women joined them, making a shock- 
ing noise, but one that very much attracted the 
passers by — better than a bell 

" I tried to take the people on the other flank, but 
was not so successful. There is a place called 
Bhardwaj, not a great distance from my house, where 
nearly all the pilgrims resort some time during their 
stay here. I tried to preach to them there ; but the 
road is narrow, and was so crowded that I could not 
find a convenient place. Besides, a native band of 
musicians, with their frightful instruments, had estab- 
lished themselves close by, and made such an outrage- 
ous noise that I could make nothing to be heard, 
except when speaking almost in the hearer's ear. 

u We have been assisted by the venerable Mr. 
Smith, of the Benares Baptist Mission, and his 
younger companion, Mr. Small; Mr. Drese and Mr. 
Ullman, German brethren, at present attached to the 
London Society's Benares Mission; and Mr. Schnei- 
der, of the Agra Church Mission ; with their native 
assistants. And one evening, after the labours of 
the day, we had the pleasure to meet together, and 
dine and pray together, a company of sixteen mis- 
sionaries, including the ladies. Thus you see we do 
come across now and then, a green spot in this 
otherwise barren wilderness. 

" The people were, as usual, from all parts of 
Northern and Western India; and our books are gone 
with them to their far distant homes. And they 
will, no doubt, go home and talk about what they 
have heard, and think of it, and thus become pre- 
pared in some degree for the time when the light 
shall be brought nearer to them, and when God, in 
answer to the prayers of his people, shall pour out his 
Spirit. 

" An intelligent young man from Bombay came 
into our tent, and introduced himself as a man edu- 




HOOK-SWING I JVC 



IN NORTH INDIA. 123 

cated in English. He was a government school man, 
and therefore knew nothing of Christianity. I had 
a serious talk with him, and he promised me that he 
would go to brother Mitchell, of the Scotch Mission, 
on his return to Bombay, and read the Evidences of 
Christianity. He was ashamed of Hinduism — said 
he was attending his father, who was on pilgrimage, 
but that he himself came to see the country; and 
finally confessed, with evident reluctance, that he 
was ' accomplishing the two objects at once.' He 
afterwards called on brother Owen, and had conver- 
sation with him, and examined the school. 

" This man told me two interesting facts. The 
first is that the native Christian preachers, of whom 
you have so often heard as belonging to the Free 
Church Mission at Bombay, are most respectable 
men, whose characters even now are held in the 
highest esteem by the natives there : ' they think 
them deluded, of course; but not rascals.' These 
are his words, and contain a most valuable testimony. 
The other fact is, that he saw poor little Shripat at 
Poona; and that he still wishes to be baptized. Ever 
since the Supreme Court at Bombay delivered him 
up to his relatives, he has been living separate from 
them — cannot be restored to caste. Let us hope that 
he will soon escape from the snare of the devil, and 
be assisted to make an open profession of attachment 
to Christ. 

u Close to our principal tent was a tree, on which 
a swinging faqir was exhibiting himself. Every day 
he swung more or less — sometimes standing, at other 
times head downwards, with a slow fire of cow-dung 
burning under his nose. He had two ropes tied on a 
limb at some distance from the trunk of the tree; and 
at the lower ends loops for the feet, wound with red 
cloth. Sometimes he stood in the loops, and held the 
ropes with one hand; and sometimes slipping his feet 
through the loops, hung by the ancles. He kept up 



124 MISSIONARY LIFE 

the swinging motion by pulling at a small cord tied to 
a limb near the body of the tree. This man did not 
seem stupefied, as one would suppose he must be, by 
swinging with his head downwards. We preached 
the gospel to him, but he w r ould not regard it. On 
one occasion a faqir of his own sect went with us to 
him and ordered him to come down, and told him that 
it was shameful to be making such an ostentatious 
display of his devotion ; that if he wished to make 
tapasiya he ought to go to the wilderness. They had 
a long wrangle between themselves. We tried to 
teach both, but with small success. The swinger told 
us that he was doing this to obtain sanctification of 
heart, and assured us that it was a very successful 
contrivance. 

"I was witness to a very singular scene one day at 
the commencement of this mela. I went down to 
make arrangements for pitching the tent, and having 
gone down to look at the bazar below the embank- 
ment, returned ; w T hen I found all the Sanyasis collect- 
ing on the top of the embankment. Some Hindu in 
the city had invited all the sect to dinner, and they 
were gathering to set out. They had several long 
native bugles blowing signals, and I noticed besides 
a great many other instruments — amongst them an 
English serpent. Silver sticks were carried in front 
of the crowd, as before native princes. They had a 
very wild, and even frightful appearance. Some were 
totally naked; some were dressed in about six square 
inches of cloth (in a narrow strip) and a string; most 
of their heads were bare, with the hair long, matted, 
tangled and sunburnt; one I noticed with long hair 
turned backwards and plastered down all over his 
head tight with light coloured clay ; some had caps of 
every imaginable shape, some covered with brass 
knobs, brass plates and peacock's feathers ; some had 
instead of clothes, light clay rubbed all over their 



IN NORTH INDIA. 125 

bodies; others only marks of the same clay on the 
body and face ; some few were well-dressed. 

"This shocking crowd kept increasing for about a 
quarter of an hour, and then moved off towards the 
city. I did not count them ; but I have often seen 
regiments of soldiers, consisting of one thousand men 
each, marching and manoeuvring, and noticed the 
space of ground they occupy; and I fully believe that 
these men occupied closely, ground more than sufficient 
to contain two full regiments marching in close order: 
from this I judge that there were at least two thousand 
of them. I could not help thinking what a delightful 
dinner party the city Hindu had chosen to entertain. 
Whilst amongst them, I spoke about Christ, and they 
listened better, and were more mild than I expected. 
There were several boys amongst these people, and I 
affectionately invited them to come away with me and 
learn a better way; but I have often noticed that 
boys attached to these sects show a more hardened 
effrontery than the men. 

"Several times it has happened, that when we were 
disputing with a Hindu, some man of another sect 
would take our part, and maintain some part of the 
truth with great zeal and ability. The common Brah- 
mans and the Kabirpanthis often contradicted each 
other; and one day one of the latter sect took up an 
argument, and conducted it with such ability — so com- 
pletely prostrated his adversary — advocated so much 
of truth about the nature of God, and the nature of 
sin— that we were astonished, and could not help 
thinking that this man was 'not far from the kingdom 
of God;' but, alas! he was as much spoiled by 'philo- 
sophy falsely so called,' as any of them, only in a dif- 
ferent way.' 

"We have reason to believe that some impression 
was made upon many minds. I noticed one old man, 
several days in succession, sitting and listening atten- 
tively. I asked him what he thought of what he had 
11* 



126 MISSIONARY LIFE 

heard; but he denied being convinced. Still, he evi- 
dently was much interested, and perhaps will not settle 
down into the same state of mind in which he was be- 
fore. Another came to me, and asked me where my 
house was; and said he would come and see me, and 
inquire further concerning the doctrine he had heard. 
He said he resided but twenty miles from here, and 
was often in on business. I shall hope to see him 
again. One day, when I was about to go home, a man 
came forward, and begged I would stay a little while, 
and answer a question. He addressed me much as 
follows: 'I know that every man is a sinner; I am 
so; I have tried every way that the Pandits could tell 
me ; I have tried everything that the Shastars recom- 
mend, in order to get rid of my sin. I was very early 
taught, that taking the name of Ram repeatedly would 
destroy my sins; and I began to u§e that name: day 
and night I kept muttering, Ram ! Ram ! Ram ! and 
I was told by my spiritual guide, that as often as I 
pronounced that name, so often my sins were by its 
power cut away from me. But when I asked how this 
could be true, when I found myself still so sinful — 
they told me that perhaps I had better try Krishn. 
So I called upon his name; but still remained sinful. 
I knew that I was sinful; I felt it in my heart. Then 
they told me to make offerings, first to this god, then 
to that; but after doing all, I still found myself sinful. 
Then they set me on austerities: I tried them, and 
soon left them off; for I found myself more sinful than 
ever. Then they recommended pilgrimages, and I 
have made three long ones, each of which 1 was as- 
sured had taken away all my sins; but still I was 
sinful. Last of all, I was sent here to bathe, and told 
that this ceremony is of such power, that compliance 
with it will take away the sins of eight hundred thou- 
sand births. I have bathed, and complied with all 
requisitions, but I am sinful still ; I feel it in my heart. 
Now, I have just asked a learned Pandit why this is 



IN NORTH INDIA. 127 

so; and he tells me, that beyond all doubt all my sins 
are pardoned, but that the seed of sin remains in the 
heart. I said, Tell me something that will destroy 
that seed, or keep down the awful growth of sin that 
arises from it. He told me, There is no such thing; 
as long as the soul is connected with matter, the seed 
of sin will remain in it ! Now I have heard you — I have 
heard that those who really regard the Christian reli- 
gion, become good men — pure from lying, cheating, 
the dominion of evil desire, and the like. Indeed, it 
is manifest that a good Englishman is better than the 
best of Hindus; and as for the comparison of one 
with the other, your people are immeasurably better 
than we are. Tell me, is there any place to which you 
go, or any ceremony with which you comply, or any 
austerity which you practise, or any particular mode 
of worship which you adopt, or any name which you 
repeat, that has the power to kill the seed of sin in 
the heart?' 

" The poor man looked very anxious. I had listened 
to him in entire silence; his statement of his expe- 
rience was so clear ; he seemed to have such an uncom- 
monly correct notion of the 'plague of his heart,' that 
I was unwilling to interrupt him. When he was done, 
I told him that we obtain neither righteousness nor 
sanctification in any of the ways he had mentioned; 
that the sinfulness of our heart does not depend upon 
our connection with matter, nor can anything within 
our power to do, remove it; but the grace of God is 
freely given to all those who believe in and truly follow 
the Lord Jesus Christ, to enable them truly to repent 
of, and forsake their sins; that the seed of sin remains 
in pious Christians, but that its power is manifestly 
broken, and day by day grows less and less. I then 
entreated him to examine Christianity; and told him 
he would find all that he had been so anxiously seek- 
ing, only perhaps in a different form and way from 
what he had expected. He promised me that he would 



128 MISSIONARY LIFE 

examine; told me his name and residence; promised 
that he would see me again ; and as he lives but thirty- 
six miles from here, I hope he will. 

" Beside these cases, there have been two Byragi 
faqirs inquiring, but soon left. One Paramhans also 
spent a night with our native Christians, and seemed 
interested. But nothing, apparently, has resulted from 
these cases. Many, very many, have appeared inter- 
ested in a lesser degree. 

" We have also had opposition : many Pandits have 
entered the lists against us, and brought forward their 
philosophy, and made objections to our doctrines; 
and a great deal of time has been spent in combat- 
ting with them such doctrines as that God is the 
author of sin; that he is a sort of universal soul, and 
speaks in all, &c. Now and then some saucy fellow 
has bluntly told us, 'You lie, sir!' One faqir told 
me, 'Sir, you come here and represent your own 
deota (he meant Christ,) as perfectly pure; and you 
blacken all of ours; you say they were all sinners; 
and you say that your one is better and greater than 
all ours. I am exceedingly angry at you, sir; and I 
would much like to have the privilege of doing what 
I like to you. I hate you very much!' And then 
he gave me from under his matted hair such a glare ! 
I answered him — 'Brother, if I hated you as you say 
you do me, I would not take the trouble to come here 
and offend you. It is love that brings me here. 
And how have I offended you? I have set before 
you a sinless Saviour in the place of those who you 
yourselves say committed sin ; for it is from the Hindus 
and their Shastars that we have learned the evil 
doings of your gods; we say nothing of ourselves. 
Come, accept the sinless Saviour; and then you will 
love me as much as you now hate me.' He was 
much softened by this reply, and heard with patience. 
"Another time I went dow T n into the enclosure of 
the Ninakshaha faqirs, and went close to their flag- 



IN NORTH INDIA. 129 

staff, and began to preach. They invited me to wor- 
ship the flag-staff, and were very angry at me for 
refusing. Shortly after, they invited me to go and 
sit down on their platform at a little distance, which 
I did, and there preached. One man roughly inter- 
rupted me, by saying, I must not come there to tell 
them about God ; for God was a lie ! a dream ! a 
thought only ! I reproved him, and went on. Seve- 
ral of the faqirs were standing about, and grew very 
angry — two or three even went so far as to talk of 
beating me. At last they half courteously and half 
peremptorily invited me to leave the platform, and 
go to a quiet and sheltered spot, where we could dis- 
cuss some point at leisure, and be sheltered from the 
drifting sand. As I was suffering from the sand and 
heat beyond measure, I gladly accepted of the pro- 
posal but the cunning fellows led me away through a 
weary tract of glistening sand, and taking their stand 
in an open space, where I could not endure the cut- 
ting sand-drift for a moment, asked me to say on! I 
begged them to go to a better place ; and they said 
no place could be better — here was no crowd to inter- 
rupt us, and no house nor business to take up our 
attention — say on ! I told them that I perceived 
they were making game of me; and as I could not 
stand such exposure, I would leave them, though I 
knew they would raise the shout of victory as soon 
as I should move; but that I wished them to notice 
that I was conquered by sun and sand, and not by 
their arguments. And as soon as I did turn away, 
they cried out, 'Oh! you are beaten! Oh! you are 
afraid !' % 

"We have not distributed so many books as we 
hoped to be able to do. Had there been the immense 
crowd of people we were led to expect, we were pre- 
pared for them; but now thousands of books we had 
intended for this occasion are left over for some other. 
We gave to readers only, and often refused those 



130 MISSIONARY LIFE 

who seemed more anxious to get a large book than to 
learn what was in our books. 

" But my letter is already too long, and I have no 
room for reflections. I would only call on all who 
read the Chronicle to render hearty thanks for the 
indication which the occasion has afforded, that the 
reign of superstition is in a little degree broken up. 
As I said somewhere before, I shall labour more 
hopefully now than ever. Our religion is recom- 
mending itself more and more every year to the peo- 
ple. Let us give thanks and take courage. 

" Postscript — Jan. 30. — This is the last bathing 
day, and I hasten to tell you that the general appear- 
ance of things is much the same as five days ago. 

" Since that time two inquirers have come to us ; 
one at my place and one at the mission-house. It is 
impossible even to guess how they will turn out. I 
have set my man, who is a Brahman, immediately at 
work, to earn his own bread, and shall instruct him. 
I hope many at home are praying for us here; and 
that their prayers will be heard, and answered in the 
giving to us of these men as a spoil torn from the 
grasp of the great destroyer. 

" There has been a great man here from Multan, 
who had got up from Calcutta an immense quantity 
of cotton shirting cloth,, and has given out to 25,000 
(!) faqirs and Brahmans five yards each. The day 
before yesterday completed his distribution. He 
gave also to each man about a pound of sweatmeats. 
The natives are wondering greatly at the great 
amount of pun (merit) he must have gained. Of 
course it has afforded us an occasion of explaining 
what is merit. But in spite of all we can say, the 
greater part of them probably still think we are dis- 
tributing books and labouring for pun ourselves. 

"The natives tell me a story about a native gen- 
tleman, that sent over a ton in weight of potatoes to 
one sect of faqirs here, (the Lungaris, I believe,) and 



IN NORTH INDIA. 131 

that when they divided them they were only five 
potatoes for each man; and they were not generally 
large either. The consequence was, that the faqirs 
cursed him as a mean fellow, and no one supposes he 
got any pun at all. 

"All the brethren from other stations left us 
immediately after the great day, but we are still 
labouring at the Mela as usual." 

To the above I add a few extracts from an article 
published relating to the fair of 1850. So many 
extracts would not be given were it not for the fact 
that they contain information as to the customs, and 
opinions, and religion of the natives, that can be 
communicated in no better way. 

"This year the mission determined to enlarge, and 
otherwise make more convenient, the tent in which 
our labours at the fair are conducted. The old tent 
was taken to pieces and reconstructed so as to be 
eight feet high at the sides, twelve feet in the middle, 
twenty-four feet long, and twenty-one wide. The 
back, and western end have curtains, to keep us and 
our congregations from being disturbed by the dusty 
wind. Behind the poles of the tent and near the 
back curtains was placed a wooden platform, and on 
it chairs for the preachers. At the west end, against 
the curtains, were two large bookshelves, with assorted 
Hindi tracts and scriptures. On the 9th of January 
this was set up and has been removed to-day. Since 
that day I have been there daily, excepting two days, 
from two to six hours, w r ith my catechist, who has 
often gone before me, or remained after I left. My 
young men in the printing office have spent .the 
greater part of the Sabbath, and of a holiday which 
I gave them, there, in assisting to distribute books. 
Mr. Owen and Mr. Munnis have been there with less 
regularity indeed, because they were obliged to keep 
the exercises at the school going on — but so much as 
to do good service; and their young men have been 



132 MISSIONARY LIFE 

engaged as mine were— some of them also making 
addresses to, and conducting arguments with the 
Hindus most effectually. I am sorry that we could 
not all be there all the time — but the school could not 
be neglected, lest, after the demoralizing excitement 
of the mela, the city students should either not return 
to school, or come so dissipated as to be unfit for 
study ; and I was kept at home every day longer 
than I wished by pressing business connected with 
the printing office. 

u We are too few here. Three of us, when all well, 
and having nothing to attend to but our ordinary 
labours, can but barely carry on those operations 
that are constantly pressing upon us. If one of us 
were to become sick, something urgent must be 
neglected. And when extra work is to be done, as at 
this fair, it causes neglect and injury to all our opera- 
tions, and is itself not well done. Will the Church 
have us go forward, or backwards? If forward, then 
she must speedily send out men to us. 

"But we were not left entirely by ourselves in this 
work. Mr. Smith of the Baptist Mission at Benares, 
who has been here at every fair for nearly thirty 
years; and Mr. Small of the same mission, were here 
for about eight days. 

" Besides the preaching in the tent, when several of 
us were present, some would take their places at the 
side of the road, behind the crowd in the tent, and 
there gather another congregation. Some took ad- 
vantage of the shade of a tree not far distant, and 
soon were able to collect a ring of hearers. Two or 
three of us took our places together, and relieved 
each other. 

" The number of pilgrims has been small, compared 
with what it was several years ago. It has been fall- 
ing off for some time ; but I do not know that there 
were many less this year than for two years last past. 
Our native assistants thought there were less. But 



IN NORTH INDIA. 133 

certain facts afforded me much gratification. I. will 
mention a few of them. 

" 1. We have never been treated so civilly by the 
people as this year. Only two men and one boy, as 
far - as I know, have been rude or abusive. One of 
them is an ignorant old man, a religious beggar ; one 
the son of a Brahman in the city, to whom I declined 
to give a book ; and one a man who has some quarrel 
with the government, and supposed I was its servant. 
The people generally heard with the greatest attention 
and respect; and, even when they were disputing 
earnestly in favour of their own" practices, were uni- 
formly respectful. 

44 2. We found many who were already acquainted 
with many of our books ; and it seemed to me, that in 
this respect encouraging progress has been made. 

44 3. Several persons attended at the tent for many 
days, and showed a great deal of interest. One read 
through one of our largest books, and talked much 
about it. Two others offered to become Christians on 
the spot, and came to my house to talk about it; but 
I advised them to examine the matter farther before 
breaking caste, as I was not satisfied with their know- 
ledge, and had some reason to doubt the purity of 
their motives. 

44 4. A respectable looking man told us that he had 
a brother at home, who several years ago received 
books, while on a visit to Benares. He said that his 
brother had never seen a missionary since he received 
the books; but that he had left off all the rites of 
Hinduism, and constantly told his family and neigh- 
bours that there could be no salvation out of Christ — 
prays daily to Christ, and is honest, peaceable and 
happy. I asked him where his brother lives, and his 
name. He said his name is Madan Mohan, and he 
lives at the village of Bhanra, forty miles west of 
Gwalior. I asked him, 4 Why do you not believe with 
your brother ?' and he answered, ' I go with the world ; 
12 



134 MISSIONARY LIFE 

I have always wondered at my brother's singularity/ 
We do not know how many 'hidden ones' Christ may 
be thus gathering to himself, who do not make a pro- 
fession of Christianity, because they do not know how 
to go about it. 

"5. We have never had so many people inquiring 
about astronomical and other scientific facts, which 
give the lie to the sacred books of the Hindus. Many 
times I have been called on to state the reasons for 
believing the world to be round, and to show why we 
do not believe that there is any Mount Meru, or the 
seven concentric oceans; and also to explain the 
theory of eclipses. This is a most effectual puzzler 
of the Hindus; for their confidence in the Pandits is 
in a great degree founded on the fact that they fore- 
tell eclipses ; and the Shastars, from which the Pandits 
derive their learning, are for the same reason held in 
the greatest veneration and esteem. But the Hindus 
are taught that the moon is twice as far from the earth 
as the sun is. Then, when we explain to them the 
true state of the case, they are much astonished, and 
very incredulous. But we are able to present the 
subject in such a manner as to shake the blind faith 
of not a few. Company after company came to me, 
telling me that they had heard that the English say, 
that certain scientific facts make their Shastars appear 
to be erroneous; and I took great care not to let the 
opportunity slip to impress upon them the reasonable- 
ness of doubt about the religious teachings of books 
that manifestly err in matters of science of which they 
treat. I believe that we in this see the influence of 
English schools and European science — even of the 
faint rumour of it that is spreading through the whole 
country, as the twilight precedes the rising of the sun. 
And it should be remembered that our religious books 
have not failed to refer to these scientific errors of the 
Shastars, and to call on the Hindus to examine these 
matters for themselves. 



IN NORTH INDIA. 135 

" 6. Several of the lads from our school were pre- 
sent, at different times, and showed much friendship 
to us, in the presence of the other natives. One of 
them rendered me essential service one day, in trying 
the literary pretensions of those who asked for books; 
and he took up an argument earnestly for us, when 
assailed by others for helping us. This boy has to 
cross a ferry to come to school: and the lessee of the 
ferry gives him a free passage. This, for a Hindu, 
is great liberality, especially when we consider that 
the Hindus know the object and tendency of the 
school. 

"7. I heard a great many of the Hindus speaking 
about the tax that was formerly levied on the pil- 
grims; and wondering how it is that now there is no 
tax, the attendance should fall off. Such seems to be 
the fact. It would appear that the bathing-place has 
lost something of its importance from being freely 
thrown open to all. Many ask if the tax will not be 
reimposed, and what was the reason for taking it off; 
and when they hear that pious people l through ab- 
horrence of idolatry, forced the government to aban- 
don its unholy gains, their astonishment and curiosity 
are unbounded. 

" 8. I do not know that one Pryagw£l has ventured 
to oppose us this year. They are the Brahmans who 
officiate at this bathing-place. Formerly, they used 
to come and order our hearers away, and curse and 
revile us; but they now seem to have a wholesome 
dread of the arguments levelled at them, and keep 
out of the way. Formerly, long rows of Pandits' 
seats also used to be seen, and they were generally 
surrounded by rings of people listening, who used to 
compliment the Pandits with rupees and copper coin 
in abundance. This year I saw but few; and one, 
whose table I examined, had only some small heaps of 
coarse flour and grain on it. 

" I might mention many other little encouraging 



m 



136 MISSIONARY LIFE 

circumstances; but these are enough for the present. 
It is evident that Hinduism is dying; but it is equally 
evident that with present means it will last for ages 
yet. And if the process of decay were more rapid, 
what would be the consequence? what would take its 
place? It is clear that there is no instrumentality in 
this country, nor likely soon to be, at all adequate to 
build up anything better in the room of it, if it were 
soon to fall. 

* * * * # * # 

"May the Church look at all these facts — and 
pray! May theological students look at this field, 
and come over and help us ! If both these things be 
done, how soon shall 'one chase a thousand, and two 
put ten thousand to flight!' " 

At a later date I sent the following letter to be 
published in America. It is introduced here because 
of its connection with the fair at Allahabad. 

"I have recently received a letter from a friend at 
Jubbulpore in Central India, which contains the fol- 
lowing paragraphs, from which those at home, who 
love the cause of Foreign Missions, will learn that the 
truth is working its way here in spite of all obstacles: 
and that in many cases there may be a work of grace 
going on where we least suspect it. 

" ; Can you let me have an Old Testament, or even 
Bible complete, in Hindi? I wish very much to give 
it to an old man, once a high caste Brahman Pandit, 
who has flung off the faith of his forefathers and 
strives for the light of truth. He would be the first 
fruit for any man of God, who would establish a mis- 
sion there, but he is weak in his views of things, and 
needs assistance. I think he has readjust so far that 
he still risks a shipwreck of faith, and that to prevent 
this, a Bible complete is wanted. .... As yet he 
has read by scraps and odds and ends. He knows 
much of Old Testament history, and I have set him 
to studying the Psalms. He has many difficulties to 



IN NORTH INDIA. 137 

contend with from man. His wife is still a heathen, 
and he tells me her taunts and sneers are bitter as 
gall, and of the grossest description; but still he 
keeps to her, and I believe from real love. He has 
one child, an interesting little girl about eight years 
old, whom he has taught to read, and instructed in the 
Scriptures as far as he is able. She is a very inter- 
esting child, and has an amount of character seldom 
met with in a native ; and she apparently only requires 
to be trained to walk in the Christian path to keep it. 
Naturally very quick and intelligent, she has become 
more so under her father's tuition; and I should 
really feel most thankful if you could send me down 
a few Hindi tracts for this couple, suited to their 
capacities. 

"' Strange to say, my friend the Pandit was first 
set to inquiring, after hearing a discourse, about 
eight years ago at Allahabad, where he had gone to 
do puja (worship,) and to take a dip in Tribeni ji (a 
title of the sacred junction of rivers.) He says one 
of your mission was the man, but who he cannot say; 
but the gist of the case is, that an argument occurred 
between the minister and some Brahman priests, on 
their Veds and the Bible, in which they were worst- 
ed, and, as he himself says, 'myself shaken.' The 
old man has studied the Koran, and the Cazee here 
has made desperate attempts to convert him; but he 
tells the Cazee to let him know whence Mohammed 
obtained his laws, &c, so far as they are good for 
anything, if not from the Bible. If yes, then the 
Bible is true, and the Koran is made up of truths 
borrowed and lies invented, both blended to de- 
ceive.' " 

"I will add but little to these paragraphs; they 
speak for themselves. But it is a great encourage- 
ment to us, who cast our bread on the waters here. 
Eight years pass in this case, and then we hear of 
the effect of one of our discourses in the old mela* 
12* 



138 MISSIONARY LIFE 

tent at Allahabad. Each one of our mission, who 
was there that year, may say, 'Perhaps that sermon 
was mine!' and it is not likely that we shall know 
whose it was till the end. There is great encourage- 
ment in this to labour at melas. In this case the 
truth was carried three hundred miles. Again, look 
at the effect of the smallest influence of the Bible. I 
have never heard of a Hindu teaching a daughter to 
read; but no sooner does this man take an interest 
in the Scriptures, than his affections are directed 
towards his daughter, as they never otherwise would 
have been; his prejudice against female learning 
vanishes; she acquires a character different from that 
of other Hindu girls, and altogether there is a great 
change. My informant is a military officer, who is 
not likely to be imposed upon. His special duties 
now are such as to require more than ordinary dis- 
cernment and sagacity. So we may feel a good 
degree of confidence in his opinion. " 

The fair next in importance is that held early in 
April of each year at Hardwar. In 1853 I attended 
at this fair, and afterward published a short account 
of it, which is here repeated. Having given some 
account of my previous engagements, the article 
proceeds: 

"Being thus released from the church, I thought of 
the mela at Hardwar as affording a place for labour 
amongst the natives, the importance of which is very 
great: and the expense of travelling in that direction 
being much less than formerly, with the advice and 
consent of the brethren I determined to attend the 
fair. I accordingly went from Agra to Saharunpur, 
and from there went to Hardwar, in company with 
Messrs. Campbell, Caldwell, and Jamieson. I am 
aware that accounts of the Hardwar mela have often 
been published, and that I may say many things that 
have been said before; but still the readers of the 
Record are changing every year, and repetitions are 



IN NORTH INDIA. 139 

not always profitless. I will therefore describe briefly 
our proceedings. 

"On the way to Hardwar, we spent a night at 
Roorkhee. This is on the great canal, which is being 
made by the government, to run from Hardwar, to 
lead the waters of the Ganges down the height of 
land between the Ganges and Jumna, for the purpose 
of irrigating the land. At Roorkhee large engineer- 
ing operations are rendered necessary by a rapid fall 
in the land. Workshops were at first established 
here for this reason ; the best practical engineers 
-were gathered by the same cause ; and this suggested 
to the government the idea of setting up here a col- 
lege especially for the training of civil engineers. 
Accordingly a large school has been gathered here, 
consisting partly of intelligent and promising soldiers 
drawn from the European regiments serving in this 
country, and partly of European, East Indian, and 
native youths, some on stipends, and some support- 
ing themselves. A large station has thus grown up, 
interesting from the fact that nowhere else in this 
country is European science and machinery so ex- 
tensively exhibited and applied. After a cursory 
examination of this place in the morning, and a call 
upon the Principal of the college, w T e proceeded. 
Spent the night at the house of a young gentleman, 
one of the superintendents of the canal, and the next 
morning drove into Hardwar. 

"I found this place close under the eastern extrem- 
ity of the Siwalik range. This is a low T range of 
hills, separated from the mountainous region by a 
distance of from four to ten miles, enclosing a valley, 
called here a dun, generally level. Through the 
eastern end of this valley the Ganges, after its de- 
bouche from the mountains, makes its way into the 
plains, turning the east end of the Sitfalik hills* On 
the other side of the Ganges, other mountains closely 
approach the river, giving it the appearance of an 



140 MISSIONARY LIFE 

opening through which the celebrated river makes its 
first debut, as it were, amongst the busy haunts of men. 
This pass through the hills may be considered a gate, 
or door, without any great stretch of fancy; and ac- 
cordingly the Hindus call it Itari, (a title of Shiva) 
and Dwar, (a gate, or entrance) — Hardwar, the gate 
of Shiva, or, as some say, of Vishnu, for both are 
called Hari. The town is not large ; I should suppose 
it contains not over five hundred houses of all kinds. 
The ground is very uneven, and back of the town it is 
covered in places by scattered trees and scrubby 
bushes. Everywhere are plentifully strewed rolled 
boulders of stone, brought down by mountain torrents. 
On the whole., it is as comfortless and desolate looking 
a place as one could easily find. 

"We found our tent just being pitched in as good 
a place as the desolation afforded, a short distance 
back of the town, and near a Hindu temple, at which 
resided some religious beggars. About three years 
ago a man was carried off from this temple by a tiger. 
Some little distance from the tent, and close to the 
main road, we put up the preaching-tent. This has 
a large square top, with curtains hanging down, which 
could be drawn out in a sloping direction when desira- 
ble; and the sides were generally so arranged that 
we could be seen by those passing. Along the back 
part of this tent our boxes of books were arranged. 
Mats of a very coarse and cheap quality were spread 
down to induce our hearers to seat themselves and 
hear leisurely. The first day was passed in complet- 
ing these preparations. The people had not begun to 
gather much. 

" Towards evening Mr. Campbell and I walked 
through the town to the bathing-place. This place is 
not on the main stream of the Ganges, but on a lazy, 
shallow branch, looking dirty and disgusting, and, 
though spread out at the bathing-place to the width 
of perhaps six perches, not more than two in width a 



IN NORTH INDIA. 141 

little way below. The ghat, as a flight of steps lead- 
ing down to the water is called, is about the width of 
an ordinary street in a town in America, and consists 
of about seventy steps. Along one side of this pas- 
sage is a series of small temples, the greater part of 
which contain only the filthy emblem of Shiva. We 
went through some of the passages connected with 
these, and stopped in a kind of balcony overlooking 
the bathing-place. Brahmans had wooden platforms, 
on posts long enough to keep the boards a little way 
out of the water, placed in the river, where they sat 
to receive the gifts of the faithful, and to touch with 
their holy hands the bathers. Several people were 
bathing, many of them women. It was curious to 
observe the skill with which the women managed the 
slight clothing which they wore into the water, so as 
to make very little of an indecent exposure of their 
persons; and the nonchalance with which men re- 
garded it all. We saw neither curiosity, nor imper- 
tinence, which might be supposed to be perfectly 
natural in the circumstances. How national habits 
modify ideas! Circumstances that in our country 
would cause women either to be regarded with disgust, 
or treated with uproarious fun and rudeness, were 
here witnessed without emotion, and passed utterly 
without remark. Here we commenced labour; we 
all talked with some of the people around us; and 
one of the native assistants made a regular speech or 
harangue, which was listened to with good-natured 
patience at least. 

" The next morning we commenced regular opera- 
tions : as there were four missionaries and three native 
assistants, we divided the company — two of us, with 
one assistant, and some books, took up a position on 
the bank of the river, where there was much passing 
and repassing, under the shade of a tree. The others 
went to the preaching-tent. Our usual course was, to 
commence a conversation with some one, and thus in- 



142 MISSIONARY LIFE 

duce several to stop and hear; then one of us began 
preaching. When one was tired, another took it up; 
and when all had spoken once, we usually tried the 
reading powers of applicants for books and tracts. 
Afterwards we spoke again; and when we had thus 
spent two, or two and a half hours, we went to the 
tent, rested, wrote letters, and talked; and after an 
early dinner went out again, and did the same thing 
as in the morning. On one occasion, Mr. Campbell 
and I, with an assistant, w r ent to the top of the bath- 
ing-ghat and preached ; but the crowd had by that 
time become so great, and the noise so powerful, that 
we did not think it the better place, though many 
more crowded about us to hear, than at other places. 
Besides the regular harangues, or sermons, as they 
may be called, we had frequent conversations and 
discussions. The time was well employed. The at- 
tendance of the people on the preaching was good, 
and we had usually as many gathered around us as 
could hear. There was, as there always is, a good 
deal of coming and going amongst our hearers; but 
generally the greater part would stand or sit through 
our sermons. Some came repeatedly, a few to dis- 
pute, and many with seeming real desire to hear. 

"For nine days we followed this course. The peo- 
ple were increasing till the last: they would, however, 
scatter away fast on the day that we left. Our last 
day was the Sabbath, April 10th. We had a solemn 
closing service in the preaching-tent; discourses were 
delivered, reviewing what we had taught the people; 
particular instructions and exhortations were given 
to those who had attended often ; and the services 
were closed by a public prayer. As I stood on a 
box, offering that prayer, I could not help thinking 
how comforting was the thought, that in some parts 
of the world God's people might be offering their 
supplications in the sanctuary, and remembering us; 
and I also wished that the time might soon come, 



IN NORTH INDIA. 143 

when churches and ordinances shall give the heathen 
more opportunities of witnessing the decencies and 
beauties of true worship." t 

I have attended several minor fairs, continuing 
from one to three days ; but the nature of our work 
at those places does not materially differ from that 
above described, and my space will not allow any 
description of them to be given, beyond the following, 
which is too singular, and too little known, to be 
suppressed. 

Behind the English station of Agra there is a 
place of great Musalman sanctity. They have a 
stone there, in which they say is an impression of 
Mohammed's foot. They call it Qadam ar-Rasul, 
the Foot of the Apostle; Qadam i mubarak, the 
Blessed Foot; and Qadam i sharif, the Honourable, 
or Exalted Foot. The word qadam may also be 
rendered footprint. The stone containing this pre- 
cious relic is kept in what nearly corresponds to a 
Roman Catholic monastery. There is a square of 
about sixty yards on a side, the whole front a mass 
of buildings of two low stories, and the other three 
sides a high dead wall: this is the external appear- 
ance. The interior of this square is filled up to the' 
height of the first story of the front, and paved with 
flagstones. The rooms in the lower story have, 
consequently, no doors or windows behind, being 
merely separate apartments for travellers who may 
choose to lodge there, and are entered from the 
front. In the centre of the front a staircase leads 
up to the paved area. This also gives access to the 
upper story of the front, which is divided into rooms 
with balconies. These are for a higher class of visit- 
ors, and for the beggars who own the place. All 
around the other three sides of the quadrangle, fac- 
ing the paved area, are cloisters built against the 
wall — a shallow verandah with little rooms. In the 
centre of the area is a small temple, shaped precisely 



144 MISSIONARY LIFE 

like the most common Hindu temples, in which the 
Blessed and Honourable Footprint is kept, and wor- 
shipped with all the ceremonies that Hindus use. 
Not the low and ignorant Mohammedans only, but 
multitudes of the intelligent also, worship this sense- 
less lie; and, which is singular, it is an object of 
great regard to the Hindus. Here the proud and 
fierce monotheist bows down to a stone beside the 
besotted polytheist ; and the learned and the ignorant 
hustle and push one another. Mr. Pullerton went 
out with me, and we spent two days there at the 
time of the annual meld. People worship there 
at all times ; but there are two or three special days 
on which thousands assemble. We preached a great 
deal. One of the days was Sunday, and we laboured 
all the time we could speak. A singular circum- 
stance that occurred here, will illustrate some of our 
difficulties. We were speaking of the way of obtain- 
ing justification, and I quoted Gal. iii. 13, " Christ 
hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being 
made a curse for us." The men immediately around 
us were intelligent and educated. One of them 
instantly said, " That is blasphemy: Jesus, on him 
be peace! is the greatest of all prophets, save the 
blessed apostle Mohammed, on him be peace ! — and 
to say that he was made a curse, is to charge God 
with injustice and folly, and to treat the name of a 
prophet — on him be peace ! — with contumely and 
scorn. You, sir, profess to be his follower, and yet say 
such a horrible thing about him." I explained ; but no 
sooner had I come to anything like an expression of 
the idea that he was the substitute for his people, 
and accursed in their stead, than my opponent broke 
out with, " Refrain, sir ! I am well disposed to treat 
Christians with some regard as ' people of a book/ 
and you personally as one who seems to wish to be 
civil and kind; and you must not utter such a slander 
of a prophet — on him be peace ! — lest I should forget 



IN NORTH INDIA. 145 

myself, and draw my sword on you, and you be mas- 
sacred by my justly indignant brethren." Here was 
a dilemma. To be reproved by a Mohammedan for 
treating my own dear Saviour, whose cause I was 
maintaining, with disrespect, was something new. I 
had often heard the doctrine objected to ; but never 
before had I known this peculiar turn given to it. I 
avoided the term that they objected to; but went on to 
talk of the doctrine of substitution, and to illustrate 
it from the Old Testament, till after nine o'clock in 
the evening. 

There is a stone of this kind near Allahabad, in a 
temple like that described above, but in a much less 
sumptuous enclosure. Formerly it was venerated as 
much as that at Agra; but during the last generation 
the revenues have fallen off, and the heirs of the 
property have become troopers in the English army, 
leaving their shrine to neglect. But it is very likely 
that some one will by and by pretend a miracle at 
this place, and thus restore its credit, and get it again 
into public favour. This stone I have more than 
once examined. The foot-print is so clumsily made 
that it is a wonder that the most ignorant and unre- 
flecting cannot see that it is artificial. The one at 
Agra I did not examine, because they would not 
allow me to go inside the temple with my boots on. 

There are at Agra several descendants of Greek, 
Syrian and Armenian Christians. Their blood is 
very freely mixed with Hindustani, but they are still 
known by their national names. In the house of one of 
these I preached in Hindustani on Sabbath mornings. 
The audience consisted of his family, the family of 
our catechist, the servants of our own and a few other 
families, a few native Christians, and an irregular 
number of the Orientals above named. An interest- 
ing fact is connected with these people. Shortly 
after Mr. Perkins and his companions reached Oor- 
13 



146 MISSIONARY LIFE 

omiah, in Persia, a Nestorian of that region went to 
India to seek his fortune, and has remained there 
ever since, residing at Agra for several years past. 
He has maintained a correspondence with his people 
at home, and received accounts of what the mission- 
aries to the Nestorians were doing and teaching. 
The accounts struck him favourably. He had an 
opportunity in India also of learning what Protest- 
antism is. Then he became intimate with the Arme- 
nian family, in whose house I afterward set up Hin- 
dustani worship, and told them so much about what 
he had heard that they too became Protestant. 
The children of both families are now being brought 
up at Protestant schools and churches. No facts 
could more forcibly illustrate the far-reaching effects 
of missions. 

In addition to the modes and opportunities of 
preaching above mentioned, we are often able to pro- 
claim the gospel to visitors at our houses. A great 
many used to call on me, and many interesting facts, 
connected with their visits, our conversations, and 
visits made by me in return, might be added; but 
this chapter is long enough. They who read it will 
fully understand our modes of preaching at our 
stations. It will also be seen, that the missionary 
force is at no place adequate to perform the work we 
have to do. It is my most earnest desire that one 
effect of this book may be, to convince the churches 
that, however much we have already done, it is still 
miserably inadequate to the great end proposed. 



IN NORTH INDIA. 147 



CHAPTER VI. 

ITINERATIONS. 

The subject of this chapter is related to that of the 
preceding — both are on preaching, our main work, and 
that which is most delightful. During the cool season, 
from the first of November to the first of March, there 
is no difficulty in travelling about the country; and 
this period may be made a month, or even two, longer, 
without any very great inconvenience. During this 
time, all missionaries desire to do what can be done 
towards carrying the gospel to the parts of their dis- 
tricts which cannot be reached when they reside at 
their stations. The only way of accomplishing this 
work is by itinerations. 

All persons who have read the journals of missiona- 
ries in Upper India, written on journeys for preaching, 
w r ill remember that we usually travel with tents ; and 
all will perceive, that when travellers use tents, their 
movements will be restricted and expensive. Now, as 
this book is written for the purpose of enabling all 
readers to understand our whole situation, and modes 
of action, we will first look into a missionary's march- 
ing establishment, and set forth the reasons for using 
it, and each part of it. 

There are no hotels in India. A few at the princi- 
pal English stations, on the main road leading through 
the country, are an inconsiderable exception. There 
is nothing like the numerous taverns on all roads in 
America. Two substitutes for them may be mentioned. 
The first is the Dak Bungalow, or staging-house. These 
houses are built by the government; and a cook, and 
one or two other servants, are paid to remain there, 
and serve travellers, who are charged each one rupee 
a day for the house and servants, and furnish their 



148 MISSIONARY LIFE 

own food. Each room has a table, a bedstead, and a 
few chairs, but no bedding, towels, &c. They are built 
at distances of about forty miles, on some roads, to 
accommodate those who travel with relays of bearers, 
that distance being about what is convenient for one 
night. On some other roads, they are from twelve to 
sixteen miles apart, and intended to encourage travel- 
ling without tents by those who move with their ow r n 
private conveyances. But they are often placed far 
from the villages, and are not suitable for the purposes 
of the missionary, who wishes to stop where most 
people are to be found. They are so numerous only 
on the Grand Trunk road and one of its branches. 

The second substitute for taverns is the Sara — the 
caravansary of European travellers. These, in India, 
are walled enclosures, with huts around the inside of 
the walls. They are usually frequent enough to an- 
swer our purposes on the principal roads, if that were 
all, as no distance of ten miles is often without one. 
In them will be found a seller of flour and grain, one 
of wood, and some Bhathiyaras, or Musalman cooks, 
who will furnish native food to any who will eat it at 
their hands. These places are generally built by land- 
holders, who receive rent from the Bhathiyaras, and 
secure a considerable market for grain, wood, straw, 
clarified butter, &c. The Bhathiyara derives his in- 
come from the fees paid* by travellers. Every ox, or 
horse, or vehicle, or traveller, pays a trifle for being 
allowed to spend the night within the walls. Each 
person who takes an apartment, pays for that; bed- 
steads are rented, and a profit is made on food. We 
might'halt in these places, if they were better. But 
the apartments are mud hovels, with only a door and 
tiled roof, hot, and disagreeable. The yard nearly 
resembles an American barnyard, and is used for many 
of the same purposes. It is filled with all kinds of 
people — riotous, quarrelling, and obscene — each cook- 
ing over his separate fire; and too often bad women 



IN NORTH INDIA. 149 

and their visitors make up a large part of the com- 
pany. A regard to either health or character will not 
allow us to occupy them. Thus we usually have no 
choice, but are obliged to carry tents. 

The unsocial system of caste entirely prevents 
strangers from using private houses or articles of fur- 
niture. Hinduism utterly destroys every fragment 
of the virtue of hospitality; and so does caste-infected 
Mohammedanism, such as is found in India. 

Sometimes the missionary travels without his fam- 
ily, when two very small tents will answer his purpose ; 
but if his family be with him, the tents need to be 
larger. Those that I had at last were each thirteen 
feet square. There must be two of them, because it 
takes the greater part of a day to strike, remove to 
the next stage, and pitch one; and we cannot be with- 
out shelter in the mean time. I never had any doubt 
of the propriety of carrying my family with me, when- 
ever its circumstances allowed me to do so. They, 
who are not acquainted with the effect of living in 
tents, and marching a few miles frequently, in the 
cold season of Upper India, would be astonished at the 
marvellous rapidity of the improvement that takes 
place in the health, after the system has been debili- 
tated by the long months of heat. I am fully per- 
suaded that, had not my health and that of my fam- 
ily been assisted by this process, we could never have 
remained in India as we did. It costs a little more 
than for a man to go alone, but not much; and it 
saves him from taking his horse altogether away from 
his family, leaving them imprisoned for want of it ; 
and it also saves him from the expense of a divided 
household and two tables, which his salary cannot 
usually bear. Besides these considerations it should 
be remembered, that expeditions of this sort afford a 
missionary lady almost her only opportunity for mov- 
ing about, and escaping from the monotony of a place, 
which, however long she may live in it, never seems 
13* 



150 MISSIONARY LIFE 

to be home; since, however much attached to her fam- 
ily and work, her heart will always turn towards the 
privileges, the friends, and the churches of her native 
land. 

Two carts are necessary to carry the tents. With 
one the articles required at night are sent; and with 
the other the food, table and its furniture, cooking 
utensils, &c. The usual plan of moving is this: — 
After dinner, about three o'clock, the dishes, cooking 
utensils, and day furniture generally, are packed up 
and sent forward with one tent. The cook usually 
goes with it. The boxes of clothes and tracts are so 
divided as to make the loads as equal as possible. 
This load is carried forward to the next halting place, 
previously fixed upon as near as may be, and proba- 
bly arrives after dark. The people choose a place 
under some trees, or where they may find the best 
accommodation, and sleep without unloading the cart. 
This is done early in the morning, the tent set up, 
the cook proceeds to make breakfast acccording to an 
order previously given, and the table is set up, and 
the chairs dusted. 

After the one tent is sent away in this manner in 
the afternoon, the missionary and catechist go out to 
a village; and, if they are not far apart, two may be 
visited and preached to before dark. Then they re- 
turn, and find a tea-kettle singing, and some cups, 
and bread and butter, which are kept behind for the 
night, all laid out. The table is probably set up out- 
side of the tent, and the stars look down on us, while 
the coolness and freedom of the open air, in such 
strong contrast with the hot weather and closed 
house which we have so recently felt, are highly en- 
joyed. After tea a slow walk under the mango trees, 
or on the open plain, as the case may be, or a talk 
with visitors, closes the action of the day. While the 
gentleman is gone to the villages in the afternoon, the 



IN NORTH INDIA, 151 

lady has the tent transformed from sitting-room to 
bedroom. 

In the morning the family leaves the ground early, 
in the buggy, and the catechist on his pony; and they 
arrive about the time the advanced tent is ready for 
their reception. Breakfast and morning worship al- 
most inmmediately follow. The missionary and cate- 
chist then go out to the villages, and visit one or more, 
as the sun and the distances allow. When they return 
the cook will have got the catechist's breakfast ready. 
The natives all like to eat a slight meal about noon, 
and rarely touch anything earlier. The catechist will 
have his dinner — almost his whole day's eating— in 
the evening, later than we usually have our tea. After 
returning from the forenoon duty, we rest, read, write, 
or receive visitors, until dinner. In many places, all 
the persons, who have any claim to be called gentle- 
men, will come to see us. We then spread a thick 
carpet under a tree, and invite them to sit down; and 
generally have a long conversation on religion, and 
give them tracts and Scriptures. The head policeman 
of the neighbourhood comes, and requests orders, as 
to provisions, watchmen, or anything that we may 
require ; though in most places all that he can supply 
us with is coarse flour. Schoolmasters come to beg 
tracts for their boys to read, and often bring a number 
of their cleverest boys to show. Their parents would 
be very unwilling that their boys should be Christians; 
but if they can save a few cents by begging Christian 
tracts for reading books, instead of buying something 
else, they will take the risk. Sometimes the tent is 
surrounded w T ith visitors, and we are prevented from 
having the least quiet before eight or nine o'clock in 
the evening. 

I ought also to say, that on many of these tours, a 
march is not made every day. The tents are pitched 
in some place where several villages are near, and the 



152 MISSIONARY LIFE 

gospel is preached in a circle of them for two or three 
days; after which another such circle is sought for. 

The furniture that is carried on these occasions is 
all made especially for this purpose. Common tables 
and chairs would soon have all their legs knocked off; 
and therefore everything is made to fold up. In this 
way the articles occupy less space. They are coarse 
and cheap; for anything handsome would immediately 
have all its beauty rubbed off. 

This description of itinerating will certainly appear 
very attractive to any person who reads it : but it 
should be remembered, that all the complicated ar- 
rangements described are liable to accident and con- 
fusion. The stupidity of a servant, the breaking of a 
cart, the sickness of an ox, and misinformation as to 
the route, are constantly causing annoyances, that 
need to be experienced to be understood; and yet it 
is pleasant to go out in this way. On my return to 
India, I hope it may please God to allow me to spend 
all of every cold season in this work. 

And now, that the whole matter may be understood 
as far as possible, extracts from my accounts of itine- 
rating, heretofore published, will be inserted here. 
These extracts are somewhat numerous, because they 
are intended to give examples of all kinds of our expe- 
rience, together with incidental information concerning 
the people, their manners and ideas. 

"We marched from Futtehpore to Arapore. Here 
we met Mr. C, who is taking up his children to Bareil- 
ly. His wife came to Allahabad, where her rela- 
tives lived, last year, and there died of consumption. 
Through the kindness of Providence, I was permitted 
to be useful to her during her sickness. I trust she 
was a true Christian before her illness; but she was in 
much darkness, and doubt, and fear; and it was my 
privilege to visit her many times, and lead her into the 
green pastures, and beside the still waters. She died 
in great peace, leaving to her friends a sweet hope 



IN NORTH INDIA. 153 

that she rests in Jesus. Her husband was with her 
the last fortnight of her life, and was much struck 
w T ith what he saw ; and his impressions resulted, as I 
think, in true conversion. I have had letters from hirn 
since, which have given me great pleasure ; and the 
interview of to-day has been very satisfactory. He 
seems fully sensible of his sinfulness, and speaks with 
delight of the love of Christ. He is in a position to 
give him influence among his class; and I hope the 
good already done will by no means stop here. My 
conversation with him prevented my going out to 
preach." 

" Sabbath. — Arrived at this place, Etawah, last 
evening. This morning early went to the masonry 
landings, of w T hich there are several here, and at 
which many people were bathing, and read and 
preached to a good audience for about an hour. My 
preaching place was the platform of a Brahman, who 
sits here to furnish worshippers with several little 
things that they require. He had a small stone, on 
w T hich he ground sandal-wood, a little of the powder 
of which is often thrown into the river as an offering, 
and often carried, by those who have finished their 
bath, up to the temples of Mahadeo on the bank of 
the stream, to be used in a little worship of him, which 
they take occasion to do as they return home. 
He had, also, preparations of chalk and red lead for 
those who required to renew their tilaks, signs of the 
idol or incarnation specially followed by the worship- 
pers, or of the peculiar subdivisions of their sect. 
There were metal stamps also, to assist in making 
these marks, many of which are too complicated to be 
readily made in any other way. Those who required 
his assistance gave him what they pleased — some a 
very little grain, some a few cowries, and some gave 
each a copper. He was very affable, and afforded me 
all the facilities for being heard that I desired. A 
Brahman who stood by, took a tract at my request, 



154 MISSIONARY LIFE 

and read a page or two to the people. A Niinak- 
shaha fakir took my part, and testified to the earthly 
origin of the Ganges and Jumna, when I asserted it. 

44 After breakfast went into the centre of the native 
city, about a mile and a half from the river. Talked 
to several groups of people; furnished a Mohammedan 
school with a few books, which the teacher promised 
to read and allow his pupils to read. Did the same 
to a Hindu school, on the same conditions. 

64 Several people came to us in the course of the 
day for books. At one time I had so many present 
that I went out and sat down in the shade, and had a 
good deal of talk with them." 

"In the afternoon we went to a market at the east- 
ern end of the city; but found that it was not fre- 
quented; and though nicely built, a failure. We 
walked up into the city, and preached to a very good 
audience near where we first preached here the other 
day. The audience were uncommonly solemn and 
attentive ; the young man who called me an infidel 
the other day was present, and perfectly quiet, and 
staid to hear both Hanuk and myself preach. 

"Thus we close this visit to Futtehpore. We have 
fairly proclaimed the gospel to crowds in its streets at 
six different points; carried on many interesting con- 
versations ; and given a tract or two to every one who 
appeared to ask for them earnestly, and proved able 
to read on trial. " 

"I met a man here to-day who had been a long 
time absent on a pilgrimage to Graya, Ajudhiya, Brij- 
nath, Jagathnath, and minor places. The man's mind 
seemed entirely dissipated; not in the ordinary sense 
of the term, but gone ; his knees trembled under him, 
his eyes were bleared, the corners of his mouth fallen 
down, his power of attending to what I said, almost 
nothing, and his answers the most childish and fruit- 
less that I ever heard from, a man not very old. I 
asked him what the matter was. He did not know 



IN NORTH INDIA. 155 

that anything was the matter— his mind, he supposed, 
was as good as ever. Other natives came around, and 
told me he was simply worn out by long travel and 
excitement — that the case was quite a common one, 
and that the man w r ould never recover— would per- 
haps get home, dawdle about a little while, and die. 
Truly Satan is a hard master! And does not the 
case of this poor man rebuke us? Here was a strong, 
middle-aged man, who had forsaken his home, no 
doubt reduced his family almost or quite to poverty, 
and literally worn himself out in the service (as he 
thought) of God; while a very little hardship is 'a 
lion in the way' to us, who have so many more, and 
so much better, motiyes urging us to devoted lives!" 

"About sunset, visited a new and handsome temple 
of Mahadeo, on the bank of the river, The Hindu 
Pantheon is largely represented by paintings in one 
of the verandahs. Saw here, for the first time, the 
Hindu cupid, Kam Deo, armed like the Grecian one, 
with bow and arrows, aiming at a woman in bed. 
Two female attendants, sitting by, are joining hands 
in entreaty to him not to hurt their mistress. This 
cupid is a big burly fellow, blue like Krishn, dressed 
most unclassically in a breech-cloth and turban. The 
temple is a very pretty piece of architecture, and fur- 
nished, in addition to the usual lingam, with a large 
marble image of Shiw, w T ith his wife Parbati at his 
side. These figures are dressed up in native fashion, 
with abundance of cloth. While I was looking at it 
they commenced their evening worship — the ringing 
of bells and beating of drums, together with the offer- 
ing of lamps. Ran away, lest the lookers on should 
suppose I was joining in the service, or at least did 
not feel any repugnance to it." 

" When we got to the tent we found it pitched in 
an old rice field. A glance showed me that, if it 
should rain, we were sure to be flooded; because rice 
is never cultivated except where water will stand. 



156 MISSIONARY LIFE 

But as it was too late to do better, we had to make 
the best of it. Just at dark the other tent came up, 
and we had all our people and goods together. At 
this moment it began to rain. We made all haste, 
and put up the second tent, so that all might be shel- 
tered who could. During the greater part of the 
night we had a very violent wind, but no heavy rain 
till about five in the morning, w T hen it began to pour 
down seriously. The cartmen, the horses, &c, had 
to stay out in it all. 

"At day-break, we got up, and threw up a ridge of 
clay around the tents. Got breakfast for ourselves 
by making a fire in one of the tents; but the poor 
people could not cook there, on account of their caste ; 
so they wrapped all the clothes they had around their 
heads and shoulders, and sat down to fast till the rain 
should abate. It began to rain less about eleven 
o'clock; and I then, pitying the people, sent a rupee 
to the nearest shop and bought parched grain, which 
was distributed amongst them. All castes could eat 
this, as it is not contaminated by touch. " 

" About four o'clock went to Ismail Ganj, a large 
village. This was a market day there. Made a great 
mistake in supposing the greater part of the people 
would be Musalmans, and consequently took far too 
few Hindi books. Found the people very anxious to 
hear, and to get books. But the market was so noisy 
we could not be heard very well, and we had so few 
Hindi books that we could not supply the readers. 
Preached as well and as long as we could, and pro- 
mised the people that we would come again to-morrow 
morning. Coming out of the town saw a man wor- 
shipping a Brahman. Attacked them both on the 
absurdity and wickedness of their conduct. A crowd 
gathered around us, and we had a very fair opportu- 
nity of preaching, which we improved as well as we 
could. Staid till the approach of night put a stop to 
our labours. Walked back to the tent— very tired.'' 



IN NORTH INDIA. 157 

" Another class worth noticing was that of the 
faqirs, or religious beggars. They were of all kinds, 
though not so numerous as I should have found them 
had I come a few days earlier. These are generally 
sure to be at the mela soon enough, so that they may 
gather a long and full harvest. One day, while we 
w r ere in the tent, I heard an altercation outside: one 
of my servants trying to drive away some one. The 
servant said there was a lady in the tent, giving this 
as a reason why the other should go immediately. He 
answered, ' Then tell them to give me something, or I 
will not go.' I went out to see what was the matter, 
and there was a Hindu holy man, entirely naked. I 
would not have noticed him if he had worn the usual 
narrow strip of cloth ; but this fellow had not even 
that. He was one of those who profess to have over- 
come all natural feelings, whether of the body or of 
the mind, and to have attained to a state of complete 
innocence and holiness, and of consequent insensibility 
to shame and pain. I could not forbear putting his 
boasted insensibility to the proof, by pelting him with 
small stones, of which a plenty were lying by the side 
of the tent — very ragged ones too. He soon gave in, 
cried for mercy, and ran off like a deer. Had his 
nakedness been the result of misfortune, it would have 
deserved, and should have received, different treat- 
ment. I have had these men tell me, when I asked 
them who they were, 'lama clergyman, (padri,) the 
same as you are.' " 

"We marched to Kassiya, where I received letters 
from Allahabad, and learned the melancholy news of 
brother Walter M. Lowrie's death in China. What 
an admonition to us all to be doing our work while it 
is day ! I have no doubt he was doing with his might 
whatever he could; and that he is blessed in thus fall- 
ing at his post, and being called early to his reward. 

" In the afternoon I went into the town of Kassiya, 
and preached. I asked the people if they would re- 
14 



158 MISSIONARY LIFE 

ceive a native assistant, give him a room to stay in a 
fortnight, and listen to him honestly, if I would send 
him. They said they most certainly would. I won- 
der if we ought not to employ our native assistants in 
this way sometimes." 

" After breakfast this morning, went into the town 
and preached. Gave away a few books. The people 
heard with great attention. One man set himself up 
as my opponent, but had nothing to say, save taking 
up every assertion of mine and turning it against me 
by the use of the formula— ■' That is a lie when you 
apply it to us; you do so yourself.' I was at last 
obliged to tell him that one gentleman could not talk 
in this manner to another, at which he took offence 
and went away." 

" Marched from Arapore to Futtehpore. On the 
way, learned that there was a mela going on near the 
road, under such circumstances as made it desirable 
to attend it. Accordingly, after breakfast, hired a 
palanquin, and went to it, six miles. 

"The occasion of this mela, as the people informed 
me, is this: About two years ago, a large tamarind 
tree was uprooted by a storm, and lay in this condition 
till the people had cut away the top and the smaller 
roots. They say it was totally dry, though some of 
the roots were still in the ground. A few months ago, 
the owner of the tree set some men to cutting it up. 
They had cut but little, when the tree began to cry 
out, and the men ran away. A few nights after, at 
midnight, a woman of the village near by, having occa- 
sion to be out, saw the tree rise and stand up, crying, 
All, Ali, Ali! Next day, a Musalman faqir of the 
same village took possession, and gave out that Hasain 
the martyr (one of the grandsons of Mohammed) had 
spoken to him from the tree, and ordered him to make 
a platform about it, and to invite people to honour it. 
At the same time, fresh twigs began to shoot out at 
the top of the dry trunk. The faqir says he asked 



IN NORTH INDIA. 159 

what sign would be given that the martyr was really 
there, and was told that the blind should receive sight 
there. He obeyed the command; and as people came 
along, told them the wonderful story. Several blind 
have been made to see; people have had the places in 
which to search for stolen goods pointed out to them ; 
one poor fellow, who presumed to touch the platform 
while he had swine's flesh in him, was deprived of his 
sight at the instant ; and many other marvellous things 
are related. 

"I inquired into all the circumstances carefully, and 
cross-examined all the witnesses I could find. I need 
not fatigue the readers of the Chronicle with all the 
facts that appeared: they were sufficient to show that 
the tree had never been dead; that it might easily 
have been raised up without a miracle; that no one 
could name or point out the men who had cut it, and 
heard the voice; no one could, of his own knowledge, 
say that any person had received sight there, except 
those who were interested in keeping up the impos- 
ture. The faqir family is the most important in the 
village, which consists of but five families, nearly all 
of whom are directly interested in the affair, and profit 
by it ; and the others are very low people, who might 
be easily hired to aid in this or any other rascality, as 
they are professed thieves. In short, the tree has 
evidently been set up by these people, for the sake of 
the contributions that are now coming in, and a few 
people have been suborned to give false evidence, and 
the credulity of others has been wrought upon, till the 
thing has grown to the present height. A mela is 
held every Thursday: sweetmeat-makers, grain-sellers, 
toymen, and some others, make a good thing out of it, 
and are all interested in the continuance of the fraud. 
Both Mohammedans and Hindus frequent the place, 
and equally believe in the power of the saint. 

"I took up the platform as a preaching place; and 
though doubtful whether they would permit me to 



160 MISSIONARY LIFE 

remain there, I thought it best to try, as anything I 
might say against the imposture on its very seat, would 
be more likely to have effect, than if said at any other 
place. I talked there as long as I could endure the 
heat, and then went under the shade of a tree. A 
great crowd followed me; and those that were behind 
compelled those who were nearest me to sit down, so 
that they might hear better. I talked as long as I had 
strength, on the insufficiency of their religion to satisfy 
the heart, as illustrated by their readiness to run after 
every new thing, even to the stock of an old tamarind 
tree; and then told them how the heart could rest on 
the perfect atonement of Christ, when once it was re- 
newed by faith. Afterwards I distributed several 
tracts, and conversed with three or four small groups, 
and then left for the tent. 

" After leaving the ground, I met Hanuk, who, 
having reached the tent after I went from it, had fol- 
lowed me. This doubled my talking power, and I 
turned back with him. We went on the platform of 
this new idol; and from thence Hanuk denounced, 
with a great appearance of indignation, the idolatry 
and rascality of the whole affair. Then he melted with 
pity for the people, and begged them to come to Christ, 
who would keep them from all such folly. Then he 
again turned upon the faqir, and denounced upon him 
the anger and curse of a jealous God, for his proceed- 
ings. I joined him in this; and we left the poor people 
confounded and speechless. Then we asked the people 
to come into the shade with us; and there again told 
of the love, power, and glory of Christ. We reached 
home just as it was growing dark, very much fatigued. 

"This is the second new idol that I have encoun- 
tered during this short journey; and they are fre- 
quented by thousands. There were not less than a 
thousand people present to-day, and I met a great 
number going away. Facts of this kind show the 
spiritual state of the people in a more striking and 



IN NORTH INDIA. 161 

melancholy light than even their observance of the old 
idolatry. That has at least antiquity in its favour; 
but here we see people running eagerly after every 
new lie; straining to believe the most improbable pre- 
tensions; asking for no proof; freely offering money, 
grain, and clothes, on the shrine of every new abomi- 
nation, while our message of truth is heard with indif- 
ference. We have no lying wonders, with which to 
captivate their gross senses. And the great body of 
the Musalmans are as deep in this mire as the Hindus ; 
saying there is but one God, but running after Hindu 
idols, on the pretence that God can work by any instru- 
ment he pleases. They know nothing of the sublime 
declaration, 4 My glory will I not give to another.' 

"They showed me a girl, who, they said, had been 
made to see a little with one eye to-day. A man held 
up a finger, and asked how many there were. She 
answered, one. He held up two; and she said two — 
and so on regularly to five. Then I pushed him 
away, and held up my doubled fist, and asked her how 
many fingers were open. She answered, two! Her 
mother picked up an old flower, and asked her to tell 
what it was. She said, a flower. Then I made them 
all hold their tongues, and showed her a piece of white 
sweetmeat, and asked her what it was. She said it 
was a floiver! Really I never saw so awkward and 
transparent a deception in my life; and yet the peo- 
ple were all agog for swallowing it, and seemed sorry 
that I had overthrown the credit of the lying blind 
girl/' 

" I find to-day that a Hindu servant now with me 
regards the Sabbath. He cooks his dinner with more 
than common neatness and care, and uses no salt. 
On other days he eats with less care, and puts salt in 
his food. He does not know any reason why he 
makes this difference, except that it is the custom of 
his caste." 

"By this time five or six men were following me 
14* 



162 MISSIONARY LIFE 

■with some appearance of interest. I found a man sit- 
ting on a small bedstead in front of a room, having 
"beside him an English fowling-piece, a native match- 
lock gun, and a blunderbuss — in his belt a pistol, and 
across his knees a sword. A nice horse was tethered 
near him. I saw he was a man of some consequence, 
as I might safely calculate the number of his servants 
by the arms I saw near him. I addressed him by the 
title of 'Their Excellency/ as it is the custom to 
give high-sounding titles, and in the third person plu- 
ral; and he bestowed upon me the title 'Majesty/ 
and invited me to take a seat on his bedstead. He 
told me he was a native lawyer. I commenced tell- 
ing him about Christ, and he asked me why we eat 
pork. I told him that was a matter of merely tem- 
poral concern, but the salvation of the soul related to 
eternity. But why do you consider wine allowable? 
I begged him not to introduce a matter of so little 
consequence; told him that, now there were several 
Hindus listening, it became a Christian and a Musal- 
man to converse on such subjects as would tend to 
show them a better way than idolatry. But why do 
not your people wear beards? Because, with refer- 
ence to mere external matters, concerning which God 
has given us no directions, and about which he does 
not care, we do just what is most convenient; the soul 
is of more importance. ■ Pardon me — I must look fur- 
ther, and find some one to talk with who cares for his 
soul. I made him an obeisance, and he rose up very 
politely to return it; but as if the spirit of trifling for- 
mality had fully possessed him, he asked me, How 
dare you pray with your body dirty? Your people 
go and worship before they bathe. By this time all 
my listeners were gone." 

" Preached here to eight men, and gave them two 
tracts. They had never heard a word of the gospel 
before. I spent a considerable time with them, and 
they followed me to the bottom of the bank, and 



IN NORTH INDIA. 163 

offered to furnish me with anything they could to 
eat." 

"Sabbath. — Moved the boat about a mile this 
morning in order to reach Musanagar (city of Moses,) 
which we could not do last evening. After breakfast 
walked to the city, nearly a mile, through the wildest 
place I have ever seen in this country. The whole 
region between the town and the river, as far as the 
eye can reach up and down the stream, is cut up into 
the most ugly ravines, the residence, as the people tell 
me, of tigers and wolves. Near the river the ground 
is higher than elsewhere, and full of broken bricks- — 
the tradition concerning which is, that thousands of 
years ago there was a fort here. Walked into the 
town with a man, who offered to introduce me to the 
principal Pandit, which he did. They gave me a seat 
in a pleasant shade; and we had a long and interest- 
ing conversation in the presence of a good and atten- 
tive audience." 

"We came down into the town and preached to a 
considerable company of Musalmans. They offered me 
paun to eat, and a pipe; both of which I declined on 
the ground that they would hinder my talking. 

"On the way back, stopped to examine the spot 
where a new Bhawani (a goddess of that name) has 
recently made her appearance. The people told us 
she appeared to a Brahman in a dream, and told him 
where to dig to find her. I told them that no one 
could find so readily as he who hides; and that it was 
very easy to pretend to have a dream. The whole 
thing is a contemptible little image of an ugly woman, 
about eight inches high, shrined in a new temple 
about one-fourth the size of a dog kennel. Doubtless 
it is a good speculation for the Brahman, as the place 
seems to have been much frequented. 

" In returning through the town of Daranagar we 
discovered an Albino, a man of the Kalwar, or distil- 
ler caste. He would have been perfectly white had 



164 MISSIONARY LIFE 

not his skin acquired a reddish raw-looking shade — 
hair white, and eyes red, like those of a white rabbit. 
He was a very disagreeable object. He told us he 
was married and had a son of the usual India ink 
colour. He said his health was usually good, though 
his eyes could ill bear a strong light. He had once a 
brother like himself, who is now dead. 

"Near this same town we stumbled on a marked 
specimen of the people's taste in modelling and sculp- 
ture — the colossal figure of a man, or of one of the 
Deotas. The figure was lying on its stomach, the legs 
extending out behind, the arms spread out from the 
sides, but inclining backwards, and the head and 
breast elevated, as if to peep over a wall before it, for 
the purpose of stealing a fearful look at an image of 
Rawan and his children, who were standing in the 
majesty of painted clay, at the further side of a field. 
The work was too large to be the mere play of the 
boys, and too silly to be done by any but the most 
childish men. In itself the thing was highly ludicrous ; 
but when we consider that it is gravely connected 
with the religion of the people, it becomes very 
painful. 

"4. — A day of hard work, and of few events. 
Preached in Kara, in two places, a long time. The 
people wanted to make a feast for me, and consulted 
me about what would be' most agreeable; but I told 
them I was most sensible of their kindness, and would 
rather accept of their offer than appear ungrateful ; 
still I did not wish to give them trouble, and would 
respectfully request they would say no more about it. 

5. — Went to Daranagar, and preached in two places. 
Had the greatest crowd about us that we have yet 
had. Nothing particular occurred, except a discussion 
about the Bhawani, which has recently come out of 
the ground here, mentioned under date of the 3d. It 
never seems to have occurred to any of the people 
here, that the Brahman might have hid the image 



IN NOKTH INDIA. 165 

where he afterwards pretended to find it — I trust we 
have done something to damage his profits. 

" As we were coming out of the town an old Brah- 
man hailed me, and asked if he should get his support 
from us if he should come with us. I asked him why 
he and the most of the people always had that subject 
uppermost, and were always thinking of their belly. 
He answered, that a man could do nothing without 
eating; and that if he could fill his belly by it, he 
would worship God, or Bhawani, or Jesus. I added, 
or Satan. And telling him we had no use for such 
converts, no object in making them, and no desire to 
see them, and that such conversion could do men no 
good, I abruptly turned away from him. Then I 
told the people that we sought their future happi- 
ness, and had no desire to detach them from their 
business or their fields; I invited them to receive 
Christ for his own sake, and for the life to come; and 
not for worldly advantage. The scene made an evi- 
dent impression. 

M I noticed to-day more of that fatal levity in treat- 
ing religious subjects, which has often been noticed in 
the Hindus, than I have seen before in a long time. 
But it really is not strange that the Hindus should 
treat the most serious subjects with a degree of light- 
ness perfectly inconceivable to those who have not 
witnessed it. Their two greatest amusements are, 
their religious festivals, and listening to their religious 
traditions. The chief festivals are the Hull — throw- 
ing dirt over each other, and singing licentious songs; 
making a large image of R&wan, and blowing him up; 
setting up two boys as Ram and Lakshman, and con- 
necting dancing, juggler's tricks, and masquerading 
with it; and the like. Their traditions are of the im- 
pure and ludicrous intrigues and adventures of the 
gods; and to impious people tales of impurity always 
seem funny; so that whenever we begin to talk about 
Christianity they seem to be set all agog with the ex- 



166 MISSIONARY LIFE 

pectation that something is coming which will prove 
equivalent to a good joke. Poor people! they are 
never serious themselves about religion, and they can 
hardly conceive how we can be so. It takes a long 
acquaintance to overcome this levity; and when it is 
overcome, it is succeeded, not by interest, but by 
weariness; because the subject of course is, to such 
minds, one of the most dull and dreary that could be 
imagined-— there is no fun in it— and faith has not 
come in, to give its dread truths any effect on their 
minds. 

" After breakfast I took some tracts and went to 
the encampment of a company of native artillery 
near by. There were both Musalmans and Hindus. 
I had a long talk with them, and gave away four 
tracts. 

" Nearly all the men w r ere away in the fields, I 
found only three to speak to. The women all either 
ran into their houses or peeped at me from the dis- 
tance. Before some of the doors were little conical 
heaps of cow-dung with a tuft of grass stuck in the 
top. A little wall of the same material surrounded 
the heap ; and both were covered over with little spots 
of cotton-wool. This they told me was a kind of altar 
for the worship of the cows and oxen, which is cele- 
brated once in a year. They gave no reason for this 
worship, except the usefulness of these animals. For 
the same reason, a few everiings since, our skipper 
worshipped the boat, offering a lamp to its figure- 
head. 

u 29th. — Preached in the evening at a village. In 
the moonlight after tea sat on deck listening to the 
sound of the Musalman drums celebrating the Muhur- 
ram in one village, and to the drum symphony of a 
Hindu story-teller in another. Shortly our own boat- 
men set up a tune with a drum accompaniment. 
The scene was beautiful; and yet the w T hole air was 
filled with Satan's music. When shall it be filled 



IN NORTH INDIA. 167 

with the sound of psalms and Christian family 
•worship! " 

"Went from this village to a smaller one — had 
eight men, two women, and some boys to hear us. 
The people were very stupid and ignorant. We 
found it difficult to talk small enough to make them 
understand anything. Did as well as we could; and 
they were evidently gratified by our attempts, 
whether any other good were effected or not. They 
all promised me that they would instantly forsake 
Hinduism, and seek Christ. This kind of promise is 
not uncommon; but fulfilment, alas! is very rare." 

"This morning passed a village, which was burnt 
about eight days ago. The cattle and people looked 
desolate enough amongst the fire-marked clay walls 
without roofs and doors. The roofs in this region, 
being merely a thin thatch of grass on very slender 
poles, soon are entirely destroyed by fire; and the 
houses are always so huddled together, that when one 
roof flames, the village is gone. But the people will 
soon cover in their houses again in some way, and sit 
down content. It is certain that after the fire was 
once over they troubled themselves very little about it. 
Truly, there is some consolation in having little to 
lose, and in an apathy that can submit to anything. 
But what can be done for a people so quiet?''' 

"Went to a village called Brahmanpur, about two 
miles off, and preached a good while to about a dozen 
Hindus, who heard well. Most of the people were 
out in the fields at their work, and we at first thought 
we should find none to talk to; but we walked all 
through the town, inviting one after another to follow 
us, and at last stopped on the border of the tank or 
reservoir, under the shade of a tree. The news that a 
sahib, or foreign gentleman, was there, soon spread, 
and all that were at home came running to hear what 
we had to say. We found an old native sergeant here, 
who had retired on his pension, and who was very 



168 MISSIONARY LIFE 

kind and civil to us, forcing on us a present of milk, 
which was most acceptable to my assistant Hanuk." 

Beside the above extracts, accounts might have 
been given of some scenes of a more marked charac- 
ter. Sometimes it has happened that the people 
seem to be in a perfect furor for books, and press 
upon the missionary greatly. Occasionally scenes of 
comparative danger are encountered. In what I have 
chosen to relate I have aimed to present our ordinary 
work amongst the rural population. To this, I will 
only add some notes of a journey in the Himmalaya 
mountains, to convey, so far as they may do so, some 
notion of the kind of work to be done there. 

"April 28th. — Rose early, and climbed the first hill 
on the road by moonlight. Went to a village a little 
way from the road, and preached to all the men and 
boys who were in it, for about half an hour. For- 
ward, and did the same in another village, where we 
bought some wheat-meal for the people and ourselves. 
Went on to a third village, and got permission to sit 
in the shade outside a house. Here we had our 
breakfast prepared. While waiting for it, the whole 
village crowded around us, and we talked to them 
about the gospel a good while. 

" The people of these villages seemed very ignor- 
ant. They appeared to be afraid of us in some res- 
pects. At first they stoutly maintained that they 
had nothing to sell ; but when they saw us begin to 
pay money for meal, they began to bring it freely 
from all their houses for sale, and we heard several 
hand-mills commence operations. We found a man 
who said that a neighbour, who was absent, could 
read Hindi, but he would not take a book, which 
w^e wished to leave for him. Another man said 
that his son, who was also absent, could read well; 
and after some persuasion, he allowed us to leave 
some tracts for him. But just before night he came 
to our tent, a distance of at least three and a half 



IN NORTH INDIA. 169 

miles, and over a most tiresome road, to return the 
books. He said that Mr. Woodside had told him 
that he would make inquiry., on his return, whether 
they had read and understood them, and that the 
whole village were frightened at the idea of such an 
inquiry, and were persuaded that if their knowledge 
did not give satisfaction, they would be punished in 
some way. We could not persuade him to keep the 
books. He then made a demand for a few coppers, 
which he said one of our hill-men had run off without 
paying. But it happened that both of us saw the 
money fully and honestly paid. We set out with a 
rule that everything should be paid in our presence, 
to avoid disputes of this kind. After he found that 
the case was going against him, he said that his 
honesty in bringing back the books, when he found 
that they could not be used satisfactorily, ought to 
cause his story to be believed. The fact is, he 
thought in this way to make us believe his falsehood 
about the money, and it was this that caused him to 
take all that trouble, and give up the tracts. 

"About noon we left this third village, and went 
down into the valley of the Jumna. We thought 
we should have a good deal of shade on the road, but 
were disappointed; the sun beat upon us with con- 
stantly increasing fury, as we left the elevation of 
the hills. The road was the sharpest descent which 
I had ever attempted ; it turned sharply to the right 
and left, forming a zig-zag ; it was fully three miles 
down, and sc steep that we had to go on foot; the 
horses slid frequently; I had to plant my foot care- 
fully, in order to prevent a disastrous slide. I 
reached the river at last, feeling that I had never 
before exerted myself physically to the same degree. 
The tent was set up on the bank of the Jumna, and 
we spent the night there. 

" The Jumna, at this place, was a stream about 
forty feet wide, running very rapidly over a stony 
15 



170 MISSIONARY LIFE 

bed, probably falling four feet in every hundred. It 
presented every appearance of being a raging torrent 
thirty feet deep in the rains. There is an iron sus- 
pension bridge over it,' built by the government. 
The hills on both sides are precipitous, leaving only a 
narrow patch of bottom land here and there. 

"We found a solitary hill-man living here, who 
looks after the bridge. We talked to him about 
Christ. 

"April 29th. — A severe morning march up from 
the Jumna. In many places the road was too steep 
to ride. When our breath was much expended, we 
took hold of the horses' tails, and made them assist 
us. After ascending, we stopped at a pretty large 
village, the name of which I forgot to record. There 
was a large two storied temple here, and close to it 
a three-storied public building, the lower story of 
which was a kind of storehouse for the temple, and 
the upper stories empty, and used as sleeping places 
for strangers. The temple is one of Siva, containing 
only the usual lingam. This god, called in the plains 
Mahadeo, (the great god,) is here, and wherever we 
went in the hills, called Mahasu — the last syllable 
being, doubtless, a corruption of Shiva, or Siva. 
The temple stood in the middle of an oblong court, 
with houses on two sides belonging to the temple 
establishment, which seemed to be numerous. In 
the shade of the temple we had our breakfast cooked, 
and our little table set out. There we talked a long 
time to the assembled villagers about Christ. After- 
ward we spent part of the day in the strangers' apart- 
ments, talked again to the people, and dined. 

"By the side of the large temple was a very small 
one, with an image of Kali, all smeared with the 
blood of kids that had been offered to her. 

" In the course of this day, an old woman, belong- 
ing to the temple, dressed herself up in all her 
absurd finery, and offered to dance before us. We 




IIMPLES IX INDIA. 



IN NORTH INDIA. 171 

gave the people to understand that we did not like to 
encourage bad women. They told us that in this 
part of the hills there were no such women; and that 
though none but bad women dance in the plains, here 
respectable women do so, before idols and at wed- 
dings. However, we still declined to encourage the 
thing, because they intended the dance to be in hon- 
our of the idol ; otherwise we would have witnessed 
it, in order to see as much as possible of their man- 
ners and customs. 

"A singular exhibition of spiritual vanity and 
desire of applause to-day. Our coolies made an 
offering to Mahasu, and boasted to us that they had 
given twelve and a half cents each — a large sum for 
such a purpose. When we mentioned this to the 
people of the temple, they replied, with indignation, 
that all our people together had given three cents, 
and wished for the credit of a large donation. Poor 
human nature is the same everywhere. After dinner 
inarched again, and talked at another village. 

" We had milk and other provisions from the peo- 
ple of this town, and the headman has impressed him- 
self on my memory as the most avaricious man I have 
ever encountered. After we had paid the full usual 
price for all that we had obtained through him, and 
given him a small present for his attentions to us, he 
began to question us as to how much more money we 
would have given him had we not given the people 
books ; and offered to gather up and return the books, 
if we would give him the very smallest sum of money. 
He complained because we had paid for one article to 
the man who brought it, saying that it ought to have 
gone through his hands, in order that he might have 
secured a part of it. When we expressed some con- 
tempt of such extreme cupidity, he said he saw no 
reason for it; money was the highest good — and 'Oh, 
how I do love money !' came out with an emphasis and 



172 MISSIONARY LIFE 

unction that would have been the best of all possible 
reproofs to some close-fisted Ghristians. 

" Spoke to the few people whom we could find. We 
happened to touch a small conical stone, which was 
lying on a large rock near the border of a field, and 
one of the villagers immediately cried out against us, 
that we had desecrated his god, and that it would cost 
him a goat to atone for our transgression. We de- 
clined to pay for the goat, and advised him to seek a 
different object of worship. 

" The village near us is named Kachanu. We here 
found the first apricot and walnut trees. 

" May 3d. — On the march Mr. Woodside preached 
in the village called Bandrauli. I was too hoarse to 
assist him much. In the evening reached a place 
called Shilaura, where the same thing occurred. 

" During this afternoon's march, we came in sight 
of the Tauns river. This is one of the tributaries of 
the Jumna, and quite as large as that river where we 
crossed it. Our first view of it was gained on round- 
ing the shoulder of a high mountain, when the valley, 
with a large nice village and a great amount of culti- . 
vation, opened upon us through a shower of rain, on 
which the sun was shining. Our elevation was such 
that not the faintest murmur of the vexed stream 
below reached our ears — while we could trace the 
white foaming torrent for a long distance. Here, as 
in many places, our road was a narrow cut, from two 
and a half to five feet in width, in the side of the hill, 
while there was a clear slope below us, apparently 
quite down to the river, appearing as if a person once 
started would roll without remedy a mile and a half to 
its rocky bed. 

" May 5th.— Marched in the morning from Man- 
dhaur to Tikri. Here we found a village on the top 



IN NORTH INDIA. 173 

of a ridge, with a temple and very small lodging-house 
with open sides. Rested part of the day and preached 
a good deal. 

" The architecture of this region is peculiar. The 
roofs are like the top of a tent: flattish towards the 
eaves, becoming more steep as they ascend, and end- 
ing in sharp points at the top. Around the eaves 
hangs a fringe of turned wooden pins, fastened loosely 
on nails, so that they swing in the wind, and rattle 
against each other. The architecture is decidedly 
Tatar, or Chinese, rather than Hindu. 

" Forward to Pientra, crossing two small streams, 
and consequently having a great deal of down and 
up. Reached the tent late, and dined at near 10, 
P. M. 

" May 6th. — Could not leave this beautiful valley 
without proclaiming the good tidings to the people, 
and therefore did not march. Mr. Woodside preached, 
and I was obliged to be nearly silent on account of 
my throat. 

" About 11 o'clock we left this place, and marched 
to a brook, where we spent a part of the day, and 
afterward went on to a place called Ohhipal. A 
large temple, a police station, a shop of sundries, a 
government dispensary with native doctor, and several 
ordinary houses, made up the village. The elevation 
must have been considerable, as the cold was a serious 
annoyance. We talked to all the people whom we 
could get together, and left some books. The greater 
part of the people showed the greatest degree of indif- 
ference to our message. 

" The road here is much wider than on the other 
side of the Tauns; but the severity of the ascents and 
descents is not much less. We had hard work this 
afternoon. The people have evidently had more inter- 
course with Europeans, in some respects to their 
great advantage, and in others not. 
15* 



174 MISSIONARY LIFE 

" May 7th. — Our first halting place was called Pat- 
thar Nala — a very pleasant place, but near no village, 
nor did we pass any on the road. This place is reck- 
oned one of the usual stages ; but as the day was Sa- 
turday, and we did not wish the Sabbath to be a day 
of idleness as well as of rest, we marched in the even- 
ing to the next village that was near the road, the 
name of which was Udai. We found our tent pitched 
near the village. A beautiful water-course brought 
down a stream for the irrigation of the fields, and a 
fine orchard of apple and apricot trees was on one of 
the slopes of the hill. On making inquiry, we learned 
that the place belonged to the estate of the Rana of 
Balsan. Rana is a title given to small chieftains, 
though they sometimes have sovereign authority in 
their territories. The headman of the village sent off 
information of our arrival to the Rana, whose resi- 
dence was at a distance of about a mile and a half. 
We could not but admire the scenery here. We had 
passed over a fine wide hill road, latterly along the 
side of a finely wooded mountain ; and our encamp- 
ment was on one of five ridges, which descended and 
converged towards a point in a large valley that lay 
below us. Numerous villages were in sight, and the 
lower parts of the hills were prettily terraced and cul- 
tivated. Here would be a very fine place for a hill 
mission. 

"May 8th- — Sabbath.— This morning about ten 
o'clock the Rana and suite came to see us. We had 
offered to go and see him first, as a compliment to his 
rank ; but his people would not hear a word of it, say- 
ing that the Rana would think himself disgraced if he 
failed to pay clergymen the compliment of visiting 
them first, because he felt that ecclesiastical office 
placed a man above all worldly rank. The people of 
the village gathered around us, and I preached about 
an hour to them, addressing what I said to the Rana, 



IN NORTH INDIA. 175 

who assented to it all as good. He then told us 
something of his history— pointed out, on the top of 
a neighbouring hill, the ruins of a fort, which had 
once belonged to the Gurkhas, who had driven him 
from his territories, and kept possession of them four 
years. When the Gurkha power was broken by the 
English, he gathered his people, took and demolished 
the fort, and handed over his prisoners, three hundred 
and eighteen in number, to General Ochterlony. The 
people here have a curious corruption of this general's 
name — they uniformly call him Luniakhtar, placing 
the two first syllables after the two last. The Raiia 
had evidently been a man of action and energy. His 
grandson, the heir-apparent, gives small promise of 
being a worthy successor to him ; he is about the dirt- 
iest and most ignorant fellow that we have met in the 
hills. The old gentleman has a great-grandson, about 
sixteen years old, a fine boy, whom I wish we could 
educate. We pleaded with his dirty father to send 
him to the plains to school, but I fear in vain. 

"In the evening we returned the Rana's visit. 
Mr. Woodside talked a little while to the people at 
his house. The house was four stories in height, 
built on three sides of a court-yard. The lower story 
seemed to be mostly occupied by the cattle, and the 
court-yard was full of manure. We returned, on the 
whole a good deal disgusted at the palace. But 
though we could not fancy the peculiar kind of civili- 
zation seen here, yet justice requires me to say that 
the Rand and his people are far in advance of the 
great body of the hill people. I have no doubt but 
that he would receive, and treat well, a mission that 
would include a medical man, a school, &c." 

No effort has been made, in selecting matter to re- 
present our experience, to put matters in an encour- 
aging light. The cause of Christ can never be really 
promoted by deception, by highly colouring facts, nor 



176 MISSIONARY LIFE 

by concealing what may tend to discourage some per- 
sons. For those who support foreign missions on 
right principles, it is sufficient to know that people are 
destitute of the gospel and accessible. This, with 
their knowledge of the promises of Grod, is enough to 
cause them to work on with zeal, faith, and patience. 

There ought to be much more done in the way of 
itinerating than is done at present. There is no 
other way in which the greater part of the people can 
ever hear the gospel. But the missionaries at pres- 
ent in the field cannot do enough of this work. One 
man, or perhaps two, at each station, are confined by 
schools, so that they can only go out during their va- 
cation of one month. Others are bound to their sta- 
tions by presses and other things, to leave which for 
any time requires a great deal of management. More 
than once I have been obliged to have a man con- 
stantly going between my tent and the press, when I 
was out preaching in the country, to carry proofs, 
business letters, and the like; and had to spend half 
of the day in work to keep the presses in motion. 
And it often happens that when we go out, it is to 
attend a meeting of Synod, or a mela, which it is a 
shame to neglect; and there is not time on the road 
to do anything better than to get forward as fast as 
possible, and preach as much as one can during halts. 
These things show that there ought to be more mis- 
sionaries at each station. Superintendents of schools 
and presses, and others having fixed employments, 
could then be relieved for a part of each cold season, 
and all could remain out for about three months, each 
party at different times, so as to cover the whole 
season. 

If we could have as many men as would be desirable 
at such a place as Allahabad, a plan might be carried 
out for thoroughly preaching through that district, 
which has not yet been done; and it is not wonderful 



IN NORTH INDIA, 177 

that it has not been done. There are about ten large 
towns, and five thousand villages and hamlets in it ; 
and at the rate of three a day, which is as great an 
average of visits as a missionary can pay, it would 
require over forty years of one man's life — Sundays 
and holidays included — without one day's rest, or one 
day's sickness, or one day's attendance at church, or 
one day's visiting, to preach only once in each of 
these places. And along with this view of that dis- 
trict, the sad fact ought to be remembered, that it is 
flanked on both sides by unoccupied districts of greater 
extent. Almost all the places that we occupy are sur- 
rounded by an equally dense population. Large tracts 
of country lie open on all sides of us; people ready to 
listen are everywhere ; roads to facilitate travel exist 
in abundance, at least through all the territories of 
the English, and in some instances, in those of the 
native princes; and the protection afforded to life and 
property, and to one peaceably preaching the gospel, 
is sufficient. 

This is a simple, unexaggerated view of the work to 
be done, and of the facilities for doing it, if only the 
men were there. I have a hundred times been asked, 
since I came to America, if we have yet produced any 
very sensible effect on the country by our labours. In 
the ninth chapter of this work will be found the an- 
swer to this question. But if the Church will look at 
the field, and our means, she will be surprised to learn 
that we can give an answer in any respect encouraging. 
Let the facts stated in this paragraph be pondered. 
They are highly suggestive. 



178 MISSIONARY LIFE 



CHAPTER VII. 

THE PREPARATION OF BOOKS FOR THE PRESS. 

Every missionary who has any leisure for it, and who 
acquires sufficient skill in the languages used in his 
field of labour, will desire to do something to bring the 
power of the press to bear upon the mass of evil around 
him. And all have this leisure, who are not particu- 
larly engaged in schools, or something as engrossing. 
If a man's chief work be oral preaching to the heathen, 
he will generally have all the middle of the day to 
employ in study of some kind, or in writing and trans- 
lating, for seven months of the year. During the 
other five months, he ought to be in the district, away 
from the city, and busy in such operations as are de- 
scribed in the last chapter. But during the seven hot 
months, he can only go out to preach in the morning 
and the evening. A part of the day ought to be used 
in preparing for such preaching, in thinking how to 
answer objections, and in talking with the catechist on 
such matters ; but this will still leave him some time. 
This time he ought to employ in doing such literary 
work as may most directly aid the object of the 
preaching. All missionaries cannot, indeed, be ex- 
pected to produce anything in this way. Delicacy of 
health may prevent. In many cases, the style formed 
in learning the language is not sufficiently good for 
this purpose, though a man may use it effectively in 
preaching. The mid-day leisure of many is filled up 
with the care of schools and presses, and with business 
connected with the mission. We are also to remember, 
that a man will ordinarily be preaching a year or two 
at least, before he will feel that he has sufficient expe- 
rience of the ideas and language of the country to 
write books for the people of it. 



IN NORTH INDIA. 179 

All these things make it most necessary that they 
•who have language, leisure, and ability, should use 
them. A great deal has been done towards secur- 
ing good translations of the Scriptures; and this 
object is now so far accomplished, that probably only 
occasional revisions, for future editions, will be neces- 
sary, until the native Hindustani church shall pro- 
duce scholars of her own, with such learning that 
they can reproduce the ideas of the Bible correctly, 
and in an idiom more acceptable to their countrymen 
than that of foreigners can ever be. Tracts and 
elementary treatises on religious subjects have been 
prepared to some extent, the greater part of them 
having a connection with the controversies between 
us and the Mohammedans and Hindus. But a great 
deal more remains to be done : the reading of native 
Christians is still confined to very few books. Com- 
parative destitution, then, is the first reason why we 
should all labour in this department if we can. And 
it must be stated that this destitution is not merely of 
religious books; we have scarcely any history, phi- 
losophy, science or literature, in either dialect of the 
Hindustani; and what little there is in any of these 
departments is either Mohammedan or Hindu in its 
tendency, or mere crude and elementary attempts. 
Most of it is, therefore, evil in its tendency in various 
ways; and this is a second reason why we should 
write for the press. The want of a good literature, 
using the word in its broadest sense, is one of the 
greatest hinderances to the work of conversion. And 
yet if there were nothing extant, which took the 
place of a literature, it would, in some respects, be 
better for us ; for that which exists misleads the peo- 
ple, and is so thoroughly trusted in, that we can 
scarcely find any place for the truth. The people 
have histories, geographies, and various other works ; 
but they are as erroneous as they can be, and the 
people are as bigoted about them as about their reli- 



180 MISSIONARY LIFE 

gions. Every one has heard of Hindu astronomy, 
and how it is connected with mythological and theo- 
logical fables, till it has become a part of their reli- 
gion; and the fact that they can calculate eclipses 
gives the Pandits such credit with the people that it 
certainly would be better, not merely for the cause 
of Christianity, but ultimately for science itself, if 
they knew nothing, and were dependent upon mis- 
sionaries for the very elements of all knowledge. All 
have heard of the seven concentric oceans of the 
Hindus; and it is harder to remove this false idea 
from the mind, and afterwards implant the truth, 
than it would be to make a good geographer of a 
savage. In the matter of history, the Hindus have 
not a page that is reliable ; and yet they have a 
history, so full of a marvellous antiquity and aston- 
ishing deeds and occurrences, that we appear in 
comparison to be pigmies in exploits and knowledge. 
The notions of the Mohammedans are just as far 
from the truth. For instance, if we wish to appeal 
to history in any way for evidence of the truth of 
Christianity, they suppose themselves to be in posses- 
sion of all history already, and will not admit a jot 
that we can bring forward. They are as completely 
unbelievers as to Herodotus, Xenophon, Josephus, 
and all other early historians, as they are of the New 
Testament. They have received a distorted and 
fabulous account of the Greeks, and of Alexander, 
from the Persians ; and this they insist on believing, 
and will have nothing else. All the ecclesiastical 
history and other writings of the first six centuries 
after Christ, are to them a perfect nullity; but they 
suppose that they know all about it. And when we 
adduce anything of the sort, they say that if there 
had been any such thing they should have heard of 
it, and that is the end. And the Hindus have not 
even so much knowledge of the ancient West — they 
can scarcely believe that it ever existed. Therefore 



IN NORTH INDIA. 181 

we have to teach the people not only religion, but 
also history and science; and we must go back to the 
very beginnings of knowledge, and clear away the 
jungle, and plant anew through the whole course. 
Doubtless we shall secure some native assistance in 
this; native Christians will help us; but everyone 
will see that for another whole generation foreign 
assistance will be a necessity. 

To enliven this dry chapter, a few amusing instan- 
ces of the conceit of knowledge will be related. A 
Pandit once soberly gave me an account of the origin 
of winds and storms. I do not think that all Pandits 
are as ignorant as he was ; and yet his extravaganza 
may be taken as a specimen of a thousand prevailing 
ideas. He said — There is a great monster, that lives 
near the outer verge of the first circle of ocean, that 
is, the salt water ocean. He is several thousand miles 
long. He was one of the gods, but for some offence 
has been confined in that lonely situation. He lies 
near the surface of the water, with his face above it, 
and turns about continually. His motions cause the 
continual heaving of the ocean ; his respirations 
cause the tides; his breath, discharged in various 
directions, cause the ordinary winds; and when the 
water occasionally dashes in his face, and incommodes 
his nostrils, he blows the water out of his nose with 
an impatient snort, which causes a storm, that pro- 
ceeds to the utmost bound of the earth in the direc- 
tion in which he may happen to be lying. Storms in 
other directions are the reflections of such storms as 
strike against Mount Sumeru. 

In a discussion with a Musalman I brought forward 
the idea that in Christian countries art, learning and 
morals are in a better condition than in any other. 
He denied our superiority in general terms ; and said 
that, as to art, it was essentially idolatrous, and Mus- 
almans could not practise it; but if they would, it was 
well known that their fancy, imagination and taste 



182 MISSIONARY LIFE 

■were much greater than those of Europeans; as to 
learning, we were no match for them : rhetoric we 
evidently could make very little of, while they had it 
in perfection ; and so they had logic, of which Euro- 
peans had not the first rudimental idea — had not even 
a name for it; and their philosophy accounted for 
everything in heaven and in earth, and for much that 
was in other places, while it was perfectly certain that 
Europeans had no notion of spiritual and abstract 
ideas. He would, indeed, acknowledge that we had 
a greater acquaintance with steam, and with the 
science of mechanics generally, than they had; but 
this was a low kind of knowledge, to possess which 
showed no grandeur of ideas, no cultivation of intel- 
lect, no taste, nor anything but a qualification for 
being what we are, the mechanics of the world ! He 
said that this knowledge was only a refinement of 
brute force, by which we held in subjection a great 
part of the world, not to our honour, but to the ex- 
posure of our grossness. Morals he gave up to us, 
saying with a wicked wink, that rustics and low per- 
sons were usually found to be more correct in some 
respects than gentlemen. 

Two standing objections, which Musalmans make 
to any proof drawn from the New Testament are, 
that Christians have corrupted it, cutting out and 
inserting what they pleased ; and that when the 
Mohammedan army took Alexandria and burned the 
library, every copy of the New Testament was lost. 
Now a correct knowledge of geography and history 
proves that neither of these things could have hap- 
pened. I have often had occasion to show this to 
visitors and others in discussion; but those that are 
educated in the native fashion, deny every fact and 
statement which we can bring forward bearing on 
these points; and, before we can prove anything re- 
lating to them, we must go back and prove a thousand 
subsidiary matters, historical and geographical. In 



IN NORTH INDIA. 183 

short, the whole foundation of reasoning with them 
on such matters must be laid ah initio. Once a native 
friend of mine, who had been pretty well educated in 
English in a government school, made these objec- 
tions ; and I appealed to him whether he did not know 
that they could not stand. He answered that he 
knew it very well; but, said he, "what will you, or 
what can I do with learned Musalmans, who have only 
been taught on the native system? I have stated the 
matter to them; and they answer me that I am de- 
ceived by a systematic manufacture of geography and 
history to answer Christian purposes ; and that the 
government, professing to be neutral as to religion, 
is really in secret helping the missionaries, by using 
books of falsehood in its schools.'' Ignorance of this 
kind is. more invincible than mere absence of know- 
ledge ; and to deal with people so stuffed with false 
notions, and so confident in them, requires the exer- 
cise of the greatest talent and industry. 

An account of a Mohammedan map of the world, 
lately published at Lucknow, which claims to be the 
Athens, as it certainly is the Paris of the Musalmans 
of India, will illustrate the matter here spoken of. 
The author has partly got up to the European idea 
that the earth is round; but he takes it to be a circu- 
lar plane. His map of the whole world is therefore 
shaped like one hemisphere of our maps. Instead of 
dividing it into zones equally each side of the 
equator, he has adopted their old idea of seven clim- 
ates all north of the equator, which he has put far 
south of its true place. As to the countries of Asia, 
their relative positions are not ludicrously wrong ; but 
most of the countries of Europe are small islands 
northwest of Asia. One of these islands is gravely 
called Europe, another England, another London ; 
another, a very small one, Spain; and another, three 
times as large as that called Spain, is named Andalu- 



184 MISSIONARY LIFE 

sia! America is nowhere; but one of its towns is on 
the western coast of Africa. 

These things are enough to show that missionaries 
and other Europeans have a science and literature to 
create for India; except so far as Bast Indians and 
native Christians may be enlisted in this great work. 
I might show this further if I would go into an exam- 
ination of their poetry and works of fiction, and dis- 
play their corrupt character; but that can easily be 
imagined, and it would not be decent to write about 
it. Government school teachers will aid in this work 
materially; but as they have very little to do with 
teaching Christianity, their efforts will tend to pull 
down the edifice of falsehood, more than to build up 
religious truth. 

Our missions have not been backward in helping in 
this branch of the work. The reader will remember 
the statement that the Rev. James Wilson furnished 
several of our first tracts at Allahabad. He also did 
the greater part of the work of preparing notes on the 
Koran, which we published in the Roman character. 
The translation in Urdu is by a Mohammedan, made 
for their own purposes. The notes are intended to 
furnish missionaries and catechists with arguments in 
controversy. Our friend E. G. Fraser, Esq. fur- 
nished Mr. Wilson with. the materials for a great part 
of the notes; and he wrought them into form, and 
added to them. My part of the work was an occa- 
sional suggestion and clipping of redundancies, and 
making the indices. Mr. Wilson also assisted in get- 
ting out the first complete edition of the Urdu Old 
Testament, called that of Messrs. Shurman and Haw- 
kins. 

A volume of sermons in Urdu, for the native 
Christians, was projected, collected and published by 
our mission. Its authors were numerous, including 
most of our missionaries, who were then in the 
country. 



IN NORTH INDIA. 185 

The first Bible in Hindi was a translation from 
the English. When the work began to be out of 
print, the North India Bible Society took measures 
to have it thoroughly revised. Mr. Owen of our mis- 
sion was appointed editor of the work. There were 
others on the translation committee, of whom I was 
one; but the business was almost all done by Mr. 
Owen. My share of it was a few suggestions as to 
certain passages, and the commencement of the print- 
ing of it. In this book, ornamental and large letters 
are used in the beginning of the chapters, the first 
work in the Nagari letter that has been printed in this 
manner. 

The Urdu Bible was soon expended, and a new 
edition needed. It was generally agreed that it re- 
quired some revision. The late Rev. J. A. Shurman, 
of Benares, was requested to revise it, assisted by me. 
His viable life was cut short when the Old Testa- 
ment was about half done ; and I finished it, with such 
assistance as I could get— not attempting so close a 
revision, however, as the first part had received. It 
is not probable that the translation is yet quite as good 
as it ought to be, and we may look for further improve- 
ments. The New Testament revision was in the hands 
of a separate committee. 

The Lodiana Mission, assisted by the late Rev. W. 
Bowley, of the English Church Missionary Society, 
published a book of Psalms and Hymns at our press 
at Allahabad. That edition has been used up, and 
several of our missionaries were lately engaged in 
revising and greatly improving the work for repub- 
lication. 

The same mission has produced a large number of 
tracts and books. Their most considerable works are, 
the greater part of the New Testament, and the 
Psalms, in the Panjabi language, and a large dic- 
tionary and a grammar of that language. 

I cannot fully detail the work done by our missions, 
16* 



186 MISSIONARY LIFE 

through the presses. My own part of it, beside that 
mentioned above, has been as follows: 1. Eight ori- 
ginal lectures on the eighth chapter of Proverbs. 2. A 
translation (with additions) of the American Tract 
Society's tract on the New Birth. 3. A translation 
of Gallaudet's Ruth. 4. A translation of Watts and 
Henry on Prayer, as prepared by Dr. Bouton, of 
Concord, N. EL, with an original introductory lecture. 

5. A translation of the Dairyman's Daughter; and, 

6, of the Young Cottager. 7. A translation of Flavel's 
Fountain of Life. 8. A translation of Dr. Hodge's 
Way of Life. 

My connection with the press also caused me a great 
deal of labour in looking over other people's books, and 
preparing their copy for the press. This, and the part 
that I took in the translation of our Confession of 
Faith and Catechisms, probably amounted to half as 
much labour as the translation of the work& above 
named. The subject of job-work, and of work and 
assistance rendered to me by my catechist, has been 
mentioned in the third and fourth chapters. 

A peculiar kind of perplexity is felt by all who at- 
tempt translation into an oriental language, more than 
by those who are rendering one European language 
into another. I have no other reason for mentioning 
this here, than that it illustrates the state of mind and 
opinion on 'certain subjects, amongst both Mohamme- 
dans and Hindus. This perplexity arises from the 
fact that words meaning, or rather appearing to mean, 
the same as some English word, do not convey the 
same idea to a native mind that they do to ours. We 
need to go back of the dictionary, and find out of 
what the idea in question is composed, in a native's 
mind. For example, the word gundh in Urdu, and 
pap in Hindi, mean sin. But if we were to ask either 
Musalm&n or Hindu, What is sin? he would define it 
very differently from what we should do. The Musal- 
man would consider touching a dog as real, though 



IN NORTH INDIA. 187 

perhaps not so great, a sin as killing a man. He 
would think it as offensive to God, if not so mis- 
chievous otherwise. His conscience would condemn 
him as readily for mistake in the forms of prayer, as 
for not praying at all; and for breaking a fast, as for 
picking a pocket, especially if it were the pocket of an 
unbeliever. A Hindu would consider his spittle falling 
on his person to be sin, and probably would not in the 
least be troubled by lying and cheating; because an 
outward defilement interdicts religious services and 
eating with his caste, while acts that we call sinful do 
no such thing. Nayd janam, or nai paiddish, means 
the new birth; but a Hindu left to himself would sup- 
pose these terms to mean the transmigration of the 
soul into another body, in which to be born the second 
time. A Musalman would certainly ask Nicodemus's 
question about it. Pdkizagi and pabitrtd mean purity 
or holiness. But a Musalman thinks holiness is being 
washed with water; and a Hindu thinks it to be the 
same, or to be marked with ashes, mud from the 
Ganges, or cowdung, or to possess a certain kind of 
stone, or to live at Benares, or to see the Ganges, or 
any one of a thousand more things. Pdki is only 
another form of pdkizagi, and ought also to mean holi- 
ness; but colloquially it is applied to shaving off all 
the hairs of the body, save those on the head. These 
statements have been suggested to me by the recol- 
lection that our mission once published a list of theo- 
logical terms in English and Hindustani, in the hope 
of aiding to settle some vexed questions amongst mis- 
sionaries. 

No more appropriate close of this chapter can be 
found than the questions — Ought the Church to 
grudge her best men to such a work as the formation 
of the literature of the thirty millions of Upper India? 
And it is not for this thirty millions only: their lan- 
guage is more or less known all over India, and their 
literature always has influenced, and always will in- 



188 MISSIONARY LIFE 

fluenee, that of various other dialects and languages 
of Central and Southern India. North India is the 
home of all the great races of the country, and the 
source of all the great influences that have spread 
over the whole land. Ought her very best men, who 
have taste and talent for teaching by the college or 
the press, to wish for a better field than one where so 
much is to be done? Can her finest linguists find a 
better field than the one here described ? I take it 
for granted that these questions address men who do 
not ask, Where can we live easiest and gain most 
honour — where can we get most worldly good? But, 
"Where can we do most for Christ, and for the advance- 
ment of the highest human interests? Certain it is, 
we do not want in the mission field men of any other 
spirit. But ought a dull scholar to be sent to combat 
with the subtleties of an elaborate and skilful false 
philosophy? Ought one without fluency or address 
to be considered "good enough for a missionary" to 
a people polished, accomplished, quick, subtle, fluent 
and conceited? Ought the Church to keep a man at 
home because he is a man of talent — or the man him- 
self to object to "bury himself in the obscurity of a 
mission field?" My sober conviction, after seventeen 
years' experience and observation, is, that until the 
Church is more ready to send out her first-rate men, 
and more of such men are willing to go, to the foreign 
missions, she will not have done her duty, nor will her 
missions prosper as she expects, nor will she at home 
avoid the evils attendant upon " withholding more 
than is meet." 



IN NORTH INDIA. 189 



CHAPTER VIII. 

EELATIONS WITH EUROPEANS AND EAST INDIANS, AND THEIR 
INFLUENCE ON OUR WORK. 

The subject of this chapter is not very directly con- 
nected with my own doings as a missionary; but it is 
intimately so with my experience; — and a full view of 
what a missionary has to do in India, and of his com- 
forts, his aids, and his discouragements — in a word, of 
his life — cannot be given without an account of his 
connections with society. 

In America, every man of good education, tolera- 
ble manners, and decent dress, is considered a gentle- 
man. It is not so in English society. Amongst the 
English in India, connection and profession are the 
paramount distinctions. A commissioned officer is a 
gentleman; so is a covenanted civilian; so are their 
sons, though they may not succeed in getting into 
either of these professions, and have to put up with 
some subordinate appointment; so are any persons 
who may be known to be connected with the upper, 
or upper-middle classes of England, though in subor- 
dinate places; so are medical men and chaplains. 
Missionaries, on account of their education, but mainly 
because of their ordination, are admitted to this so- 
ciety. If there is ever any reserve in admitting 
them, the reason of it is to be found in the fact that 
many early English missionaries were men of small 
education ; and it has happened that some persons of 
very low origin and education have been admitted to 
the office in India, and some societies and individuals 
have sent out as missionaries persons who were not 
qualified to mix in society; and thus the social position 
of a missionary has been rendered somewhat doubtful, 
at least to some people, who are fastidious. Some few 
East Indians, connected with society by a mixed but 



190 MISSIONARY LIFE 

legitimate parentage, and some illegitimate offspring 
of very great men, are admitted ; but the great body 
of that people are considered to be out of it. A mer- 
chant, who buys articles for exportation, is a gentle- 
man; but if the same man keep a shop for selling 
anything by retail, he is not a gentleman. There is 
no great fault to be found with these distinctions, 
except that they are a little too unbending: some 
persons retain their places in society by their connec- 
tions, who are unfit for it; and some, from want of 
connections, are excluded when qualified to do honour 
to it. Natives of rank are sometimes found in public 
parties, but rarely have much to do with European 
society. 

It is the custom in India for the new comer to a 
station to call on the residents with whom he would 
like to be acquainted. Unless it be ascertained that 
the person so calling has no claim to the society 
which he thus seeks to be admitted to, the residents 
return his call; and if he be a married man, the ladies 
go to see his wife. If they are persons of sufficient 
standing, invitations to dinner are given by those who 
return the call ; but this is not obligatory. A mis- 
sionary may thus call on whom he pleases, and very 
few will be rude enough to neglect to return the civil- 
ity. After this, people, of a quiet turn, and the de- 
cidedly religious, invite them to their houses occa- 
sionally; but the more gay and worldly treat them 
with only civility. But when the missionary family 
is settled in a place for a considerable time, and the 
English residents are changed, the circle of their ac- 
quaintance may become much more restricted; for the 
new comers may not be devout enough to wish for the 
acquaintance of religious people, and therefore will 
not call on them, while the missionary is thus given 
to understand that he may keep his distance. Casu- 
ally he may become known to them, but generally a 
large part of the residents of the same station will 



IN NORTH INDIA. 191 

remain strangers to him. At a small station this will 
not be the case so much as at a larger one: the minor 
stations contain so few people, that there is both more 
need of the mission family in society, and more time 
to attend to them ; while at the larger places they are 
of less consequence to other people, and various pub- 
lic amusements and parties take up people's time suffi- 
ciently to combat a faint wish to cultivate the mission- 
ary's acquaintance, if it were in existence. 

The high officers of government acknowledge our 
standing by occasionally inviting us to dinner. The 
Governor General, the Commander-in-chief of the 
army, and the Lieutenant-Governor of the Northwest 
Provinces, have done this repeatedly. 

At the same time that we have, in this way, a 
standing with the highest, we are not excluded from 
the acquaintance of those who are "not in society. " 
Most missionaries freely visit respectable persons 
who are not recognized as having any rank, and some 
of our most valued friends are amongst them. In 
associating with them we very probably sometimes 
incur the scorn, or pity, or contempt of some who are 
"in society," and may forfeit some civilities from 
them. I have experienced something of this; but 
never had any doubt about which class I could most 
influence for good, and therefore never hesitated to 
do what some people would call descending. How- 
ever, it is generally practically acknowledged, that we 
may go where we please without losing caste. 

At the larger stations it is sometimes quite a task 
to call on all the older residents. I never attempted 
it. And this operates to hinder some persons from 
making the acquaintance of missionaries. And some 
new comers at a station probably find out who are the 
covenanted civil officers, and the officers of the mili- 
tary force, and call on them without thinking to in- 
quire whether there are others who may be entitled 
to such a civility. I have known some persons, who 



192 MISSIONARY LIFE 

had lived six months at a station before they found 
out that that there were any missionaries there; and 
then felt delicate about calling at so late a day. 
Others stayed away altogether, from want of interest 
in missions; and when asked, at other stations, if they 
had known the missionaries, and anything about their 
work, answered, in substance, u No; I hardly ever 
heard of them, and saw nothing of their work. I 
suppose they do very little beside living well and 
taking it easy." No doubt these people are often 
quite honest in saying such things, except so far as 
they are culpable for not taking pains to see w 7 hat was 
being done. 

There certainly were many persons at Allahabad 
and Agra, during my residence at those places, who 
could not have known what the mission was doing; 
for they never visited the press or the schools, and 
probably never asked anybody whether there were 
such things. They never encountered any native 
Christians; for none of them were engaged in busi- 
ness that brought them into contact with Europeans 
outside of the mission. They never, or rarely, could 
see us at our preaching places, because they rode on 
the high roads outside of the city, and avoided the 
places where the natives mostly congregate, on ac- 
count of the various unpleasant things that assail the 
senses there — and these were the very places where 
some of us could have been seen frequently. A gen- 
tleman residing in a country house outside of New 
York, never going to church when he can avoid it, 
never seeing a religious periodical, avoiding all reli- 
gious society, and never making any inquiries what- 
ever as to religious people or movements, and, more- 
over, being much predisposed to look on all such with 
dislike, may easily come to believe and say, (and such 
people do say,) that the American Bible Society does 
no real work, and uses its funds corruptly. Such a 
gentleman would be a fair parallel to many who have 



IN NORTH INDIA. 193 

lived in India, and have done missions a mischief, be- 
cause it was supposed that they must know all about 
them from having been on the spot. I have known two 
American travellers to move together through the pro- 
vinces we occupy, and never come near one of our 
places, though at the same stations; and at the same 
time that they were making themselves ridiculous there 
by reporting the Unitarian to be the largest and leading 
denomination in America, they were, as many Ameri- 
cans will naturally believe, qualifying themselves to 
report on our missions. Another, and much more 
distinguished traveller, being a man of a gentlemanly 
mind as well as station, though not agreeing with us 
in religious opinion, came to us as a fellow-country- 
man ought to do, looked at our work and made himself 
able to report it fairly, so far as his own theological 
system allowed him to see it in the right light, gave 
us a great pleasure by making use of us, and got some 
of his best information for his letters from us. But 
there are few like him. A hundred intelligent young 
men may easily be found, who have each spent five 
years in India, whose combined knowledge of it is not 
equal to that gathered by him in a few weeks. Many 
pay no attention to anything but their regiments and 
their amusements. 

But there are almost always a few truly devout and 
religious persons at every station, who kindly take 
notice of the missionaries, and encourage them in 
their work. His heart must be insensible indeed, who 
fails to feel great gratitude for the comfort derived 
from such society and such help, and the most sincere 
friendship to such persons. It would, of course, be 
invidious to name such friends, and they would not 
desire it ; but it is necessary to acknowledge their 
kindness at least in general terms. And the English 
community in India, considered as a whole, is an ex- 
ceedingly liberal one, both in feeling, and in pecuniary 
aid to missionary efforts. Their liberality as to money 
17 



194 MISSIONARY LIFE 

will appear from what will be stated hereafter. Their 
kind feeling and true charity towards those who are of 
different denominations, deserves special notice here. 
There are very few indeed who look superciliously 
upon dissenters ; and no regular missionary is without 
help in supporting his schools, building his chapels, 
and carrying on any of his operations that may re- 
quire extra outlay. Presbyterian missions sometimes 
meet with a degree of special favour, as not being 
English dissenters; but the difference made is not 
great, nor often perceived. As a matter of course the 
missions of the English Church are better supported 
than any others ; and they ought to be so by their 
own people. Their missionaries are more noticed in 
society, as is but natural too ; but other missionaries 
cannot complain of any want of kindness, or of any 
tendency to hand them over to "uncovenanted mer- 
cies." Where there are many men, there will be 
some weak and bigoted men; and we have now and 
then encountered one who evidently thought us an 
evil- — -perhaps a chaplain, who spoke of us contemptu- 
ously, or tried to keep his people from aiding us ; but 
such men have had bad success, and always injured 
themselves by anything like active hostility. Epis- 
copal missionaries journey and preach with us to the 
heathen, notwithstanding the silly law, by which the 
English Church has excommunicated herself from all 
the rest of Christendom, by denying ministerial com- 
munion to all out of her own pale. Some of my oldest 
and dearest frierds are of their number. 

The benefit of the association of missionaries with 
English society is not confined to the missionaries. 
There have been many cases of conversion, resulting 
from their labours, both amongst Englishmen of all 
grades, and the East Indians. Many anecdotes might 
be told to show that the benefits of missions are not 
confined to the natives. The Presbyterian Church at 
Agra, and four large European and East Indian con- 



IN NORTH INDIA. 195 

gregations at Calcutta, are the fruit of missionary 
labour. Numerous individuals have been brought to 
the knowledge of the truth, who have afterward been 
very useful to the various missions in the country. 
Our own missions have been useful in this respect; 
and it would give me a great deal of pleasure to record 
instances of this kind, did not delicacy forbid. 

Formerly the chaplains on the East India Compa- 
ny's establishment were generally worldly men ; too 
often a discredit to Christianity, and a snare to their 
people. They are appointed by the Court of Directors 
in such a way that the appointments are virtually made 
by single individuals ; and if a director has a nephew 
or friend in orders, whose circumstances make such an 
appointment desirable, he puts him on the Company's 
establishment, sometimes without any regard to his 
character or habits; and thus it happens that some of 
the chaplains still are, and almost all of them used to 
be, as utterly without religion as any person in decent 
society can be. And it is easier to convict a man of 
felony in a criminal court, than to get rid of a clergy- 
man who is a disgrace to his profession. When, after 
the revival of religion commenced in England, and, 
through the exertions of Dr. Buchanan and one or two 
pious directors, a few pious chaplains were sent out, 
the great change commenced. The Baptist Mission 
at Serampore was flourishing at that time, and there 
began to be some Englishmen in India, who had not, 
as the proverbial expression went, thrown their bap- 
tism overboard when passing the Cape of Good Hope. 
Then missionaries were sent into various parts of the 
country; and their devout and correct deportment 
made it no longer possible for a drunken or wicked 
chaplain to hold up his head in society, unless he were 
a man of extraordinary effrontery. Pious gentlemen 
and ladies, whose piety was often the fruit of mission- 
ary labour, also influenced the chaplains favourably. 
As soon as religion began to take the place of impiety 



196 MISSIONARY LIFE 

in this way, the effect of it extended in some measure to 
the Court of Directors; and many gentlemen amongst 
them have conscientiously used their power of nomi- 
nating chaplains, so that now many of them are truly 
worthy men, in many cases aiding missions as much 
as they can, and some performing in a manner the 
work of missionaries themselves. The great majority 
of the chaplains, indeed, do credit to the religion they 
profess ; though, a large number of the most exem- 
plary being Tractarians, there are comparatively few 
willing to be seen countenancing the missions of any 
other Church than their own. 

The present venerable Bishop of Calcutta, and his 
Archdeacon, are men of the right sort. They have 
not hesitated to visit our schools, to encourage us, to 
recommend our operations to the notice and help of 
their people, and to take our part in conversations 
with their own Tractarian clergymen. But though 
they do all this in passing through the country, as did 
also the present Bishop of Madras, Dr. Dealtry, when 
Archdeacon of Calcutta, yet when they come to pub- 
lish the account of their tours, they are obliged to 
follow the policy of a State Church, and see nobody in 
the field but themselves. From their accounts, one 
would never dream that they had kindly visited our 
schools, or even heard of them. But if the exigencies 
of their official position prevent them from telling that 
they did so truly a Christian thing as to encourage and 
treat kindly Presbyterians, my position, happily, allows 
me to acknowledge their kindness with gratitude and 
thanks. 

Bishop Wilson has always treated us personally with 
great kindness. He caused all our mission to be in- 
vited to meet him at a large dinner party at Allahabad. 
My wife cherishes a volume of his sermons, which he 
gave her, with his autograph on the title-page; and he 
prayed publicly for our mission by name at this party, 
and named it in a sermon in the church. The Bishop 



IN NORTH INDIA. 197 

is most affable. At a breakfast, where I met him, I 
blundered into a discussion with him concerning the 
proper interpretation of a verse in the New Testament. 
When he found that his own clergymen, who were 
present, agreed with me, and that the commentaries 
gave him no support, he gave up with perfect good 
nature, showing no disposition to resent, or to stand 
upon his official dignity. He is accustomed to pray for 
guests, and any friends in special danger or affliction, 
by name. When I was last m Calcutta, he invited me 
to one of his public breakfasts, and at morning worship 
named me, prayed for our church, " for all the churches 
in that great country from which he comes, and finally 
for all the family of Protestant churches throughout 
the world." A great many anecdotes of his eccentric 
manners are afloat in India ; but I will not repeat them. 
These are sufficient to illustrate, so far, our position 
and relations to the Episcopal Church in India. 

From what has been said it will easily be gathered, 
that the state of religion is better now than formerly 
in the nominally Christian community in India; and 
this is true. I do not know that there has been much 
change for the better amongst the purely European 
part of the population in the last fifteen years, nor 
has there been any deterioration; but there has been 
a great improvement in the East Indian class: there 
are a great many more of them now than then, who 
take a part in religious movements. For further in- 
formation as to this class of persons, I must refer the 
reader to the article especially relating to them in 
in this volume. 

Various intimations of having received pecuniary 
aid in India, for several of our schemes, have been 
given. It will be gratifying to the friends of mis- 
sions in America to hear to what extent, and how op- 
portunely, the help of the English community has 
been given to us; and therefore I will mention, some- 
what in detail, the matters in which they have aided 
17* 



198 MISSIONARY LIFE 

us within my experience. All our missions have had 
similar experience. 

In speaking, in the fifth chapter, of the way in 
which the mission church and one of the chapels at 
Allahabad were built, I have already acknowledged 
important assistance. 

In addition to the account already given of the 
Presbyterian church at Agra, the following statement 
is made to exhibit the influence of Europeans and 
East Indians on our work. The members of this 
church, after arriving at Agra, and finding themselves 
without a minister or place of meeting, formed an 
alliance with an open communion Baptist church. 
They attended the services there, and assisted in pay- 
ing the pastor. Not long after this arrangement was 
entered upon, Mr. Wilson from Allahabad and Mr. 
Rankin from Futtehgurh, were sent to Agra to form 
a new station of our missions there. They had every 
thing to begin anew. For this reason they were in- 
duced to join the alliance with the Baptists; at first it 
was certainly understood that the Presbyterians were 
to enjoy equal privileges with the original congrega- 
tion; at least, the Presbyterians thought it was so 
understood. But soon our people learned that they 
were not to be allowed to baptize a child in the cha- 
pel, though it was ostentatiously called "The Union 
Chapel," and the immersionists had a cistern in it, 
and administered baptism in their own way there. 
The Presbyterians did not complain of this, for they 
were willing to accord some kind of precedence to 
those who had first occupied the place. The other 
party, however, seemed to be hurt by our friends' 
baptizing the child at all while in connection with 
them, though it was done in a private house; and 
they seemed determined, therefore, to crush out the 
last appearances of Presbyterianism at once. Accord- 
ingly when the Presbyterian part of this curiously 
constructed church had received a new member, and 



IN NORTH INDIA, 199 

wished to ordain him as a Ruling Elder, and one of 
the original Allahabad members had consented to be 
ordained as Deacon, they refused to allow a special 
service to be held in the chapel for this purpose. 
They could have had no other good reason for refusing 
than that which is here supposed. It was manifestly 
to their injury to do so. They probably thought they 
could prevent our further organization ; and they were 
permitted by Providence to try to do it, in order that 
it might lead the Presbyterians to separate from 
them, and exert themselves to build up a church ac- 
cording to their own consciences, without any undue 
compliances; at any rate this was the result. Messrs. 
Wilson and Rankin commenced services in a private 
room ; and when the new 7 mission-house was finished, 
the service was held in that until the end of Novem- 
ber, 1851. Mr. Rankin was soon obliged to leave 
the station, and finally the country, by ill-health, 
after which Mr. Wilson continued to be pastor till he 
also left Agra for America in the latter part of 1850. 
I was at Agra on a visit, which was connected with a 
preaching tour, a little while before Mr. Wilson left, 
and he and I pressed the wants of the place so upon 
the notice of the Rev. Mr. Scott, who went out to 
India with me, and was then at Futtehgurh, that he 
consented to occupy it for a year, if I would then re- 
lieve him, if possible. There was another special 
reason for our keeping some one at Agra, besides 
considerations connected with this congregation, which 
will appear in a future paragraph. Mr. Scott re- 
mained a year, and preached to this people amongst 
other engagements; when I succeeded him in the same 
for a year and a half. I was followed in the pastoral 
charge by a minister of the Free Church of Scotland, 
the Rev. Thomas Grieve Clark. Mr. Clark did not 
remain long. He accepted a call to a Free church 
in Bombay. It was a disagreeable thing to be obliged 
to transfer this church to other hands ; but as it did 



200 MISSIONARY LIFE 

not result in any rupture of most friendly relations, 
and as the church has amicably come back to us, the 
subject need only to be thus referred to, amongst 
the things that have a bearing on our relations in 
India. 

This church has built for itself a very pretty, 
though very singular edifice, at a cost of about six 
thousand dollars. It is well placed for the civil sta- 
tion, but fully three miles from the military. The 
members of this church, when they began to build, 
gave each a month's income, except in the case of 
ladies whose husbands did not belong to our body. 
One such lady, however, paid for the steeple and pul- 
pit, as special donations. The remainder of the money 
was chiefly raised by a subscription amongst the 
English community at that and other stations ; but 
there were various little matters, in the finishing and 
fitting up of, the place, that caused several supplemen- 
tary subscriptions, which bore heavily on the mem- 
bers, and were met with a very good spirit. This 
was a great undertaking for so small a church, and 
the aid they received from the public was very libe- 
ral. The property vests in the church, not in the 
mission. The new building was dedicated on the first 
Sabbath of December, 1851, after my arrival at the 
place, and just before Mr. Scott's departure. Seve- 
ral new members w T ere admitted on this occasion. 

Several gentlemen not connected with any mis- 
sion have contributed handsomely to the printing of 
works in behalf of Christianity. I have not space to 
attempt an enumeration of these w T orks, though I 
notice the subject as a most interesting one. Some 
have written tracts, and procured their publication. 
The desire to use the press is sure to grow up in a 
cultivated community; and therefore the connection 
between missions and the Europeans and East Indians 
is likely, in this respect, to be of still more impor- 
tance in future. 



IN NORTH INDIA. 201 

A Tract and Book Society existed for some time at 
Benares, and received a considerable amount in con- 
tributions from Europeans ; but, its support after a 
time falling off, its action has ceased for some years 
past. Our press once had an alliance with this 
Society, so that its publications were put on the 
American Tract Society's list, and the number that 
one society alone could have printed was thus doubled. 
A Tract Society has for some time been pretty well 
supported by the English community at Agra, and is 
publishing a valuable series of tracts for the natives. 
It also keeps a depot of English religious books, for 
the supply of residents in North India, which is a 
very useful part of its operations. A Bible Society 
was formed at Agra when Mr. Wilson first went tf ere, 
and he was chosen its Secretary; and those of us, 
who have filled his place in the mission, have been its 
Secretaries ever since. The connection, which it was 
desirable that we should maintain with these Socie- 
ties, has at all times been one of our reasons for 
retaining Agra as a station. In addition to these 
great societies, which are intended for the whole 
North-west Provinces, there is a Protestant Associa- 
tion at Agra, intended to meet the efforts of the 
Papists, who have made that place the seat of a 
Bishopric. This association has published some 
lectures which I delivered at Agra, called out by the 
aggressive movements of the Papists; and will fur- 
ther exert itself to supply the community with such 
books and tracts as may be an antidote to the poison 
sowed by them. 

A female day-school at Allahabad is a very good 
example of many similar operations, which are sup- 
ported by the European community. It was estab- 
lished, superintended, and supported by subscriptions 
gathered, by several ladies in succession, till at last 
its superintendence was handed over to our mission. 
It is still doing its part towards introducing female 



202 MISSIONARY LIFE 

education into India. This school was got tip and 
maintained by ladies of the first rank in society ; and 
a yery similar one is taught, and mostly supported, at 
Agra, by one of the most humble of East Indian 
women. We thus see how the cause of truth is aided 
equally by persons at either end of the social scale. 
At all our stations we receive valuable aid from the 
English to support our high and vernacular schools. 
Some schools at out stations are entirely sustained by 
them. There is no doubt but that several more able 
and trustworthy native Christian teachers than we 
have at our disposal would be cheerfully supported in 
various places by the friends residing there. I have 
had a great deal to do in collecting these subscrip- 
tions, and know that their amount could at any time 
have been increased, had circumstances demanded it. 

Our schools at Agra are in a special manner con- 
nected with the European and East Indian community, 
both by their origin and their object. As it is desir- 
able that our plans as to these schools should be well 
known, I shall not hesitate to give a rather full 
account of them ; and to do so it will be necessary to 
go back and give some intimations of what preceded 
them. 

When all the government offices had been concen- 
trated at Agra, the European and East Indian popu- 
lation became very large. Amongst Protestants 
there was only one school of even respectable charac- 
ter for the poorer English and East Indians ; and the 
terms of that were so high, that comparatively few 
could avail themselves of it. It was kept by an East 
Indian Baptist minister, who had formerly been a 
missionary in connection with the Serampore mission. 
He was a very good man, and not a poor scholar ; but 
still he and his wife were no match for the Popish 
priests and nuns, who had set up boys' and girls' 
schools there, and were likely to do Protestantism no 
small harm. This gentleman being a Baptist, and his 



IN NORTH INDIA. 203 

school private property, having no public body to 
guaranty either its efficiency or its permanence, pre- 
vented the Christian public from aiding it, so as to 
cheapen it and render it more efficient. Though the 
community would fully allow that Baptists are true 
Christians, they very naturally objected to their chil- 
dren being educated where they would be very likely 
to contract a prejudice against the views of their 
parents, on so important a matter as baptism. But 
this consideration had less weight there than the 
necessity of some cheaper and more efficient school, 
to educate Protestant youth, and to counteract the 
manifest schemes of the Papists. Therefore several 
leading gentlemen in the government service took up 
the matter, contributed a large sum of money, ap- 
pointed a committee of management, bought one house 
and hired another, engaged an Episcopal clergyman 
and his wife as principals, and established The Pro- 
testant Academy in male and female departments. 
Our Mr. Wilson was one of the committee, and one of 
our ruling elders was the committee's secretary. The 
Baptist minister, whose school was injured by the new 
one, was appointed one of its teachers. Thus a strong 
effort was made to unite all kinds of Protestants in its 
support. By great exertions a large number of pupils 
were collected, and all went on well at first. But 
there were two fatal defects in the plan : — it was not 
possible to make the tuition fees low enough to secure 
the original design; and its prosperity depended on a 
single life, or the health of a single man. The prin- 
cipal belonged to no body of men who could always 
supply his place when needful. After a short time 
the principal became ill, and w T as obliged to resign his 
appointment. His place was supplied, on the recom- 
mendation of some good people in Calcutta, by a man 
whom the bishop ordained for the purpose — supposed 
to be a very good man, and therefore thought, by 
those who recommended him, to be fit for anything 



204 MISSIONARY LIFE 

up the country. But he proved to be without talent, 
skill or learning. Under him the institution died a 
death so sudden, that it was clearly proved to have 
had no stamina before. The Baptist minister, even 
while the servant of the institution, issued private cir- 
culars giving notice to parents that he would re-estab- 
lish his school, seceded with a number of the pupils, 
and contributed to the ruin of the academy. The 
committee were soon left without teachers or scholars, 
and with a debt amounting to considerably more than 
the property in hand. 

Soon after the failure of this institution its friends, 
especially the late Mr. Thomason, Lieutenant-Gov- 
ernor, began to wish that our mission would under- 
take its revival. They represented to Mr. Wilson, 
that it could succeed only as a mission-school; and 
that there was no other mission but ours able to 
undertake it. Mr. Wilson had had such thoughts 
before, and now began to lay plans for the undertak- 
ing. He advocated the renewal, in some shape, of 
the Protestant Academy, and spoke of his hopes of 
a Theological Seminary, to grow out of it eventually. 
The want of men, and the want of a precedent for 
precisely such a mission-school, led to postponement, 
and Mr. Wilson was obliged to return home before 
anything was done; but he left the scheme as a kind 
of legacy to his successors. After Mr. Scott took 
his place, he too began to advocate the plan. With 
the help of the Secretary to the late academy he 
wrote and printed a pamphlet on the subject, which 
was circulated amongst all our missionaries in India, 
and secured their almost unanimous approval of the 
scheme. He was thus encouraged to send the plan 
to our Executive Committee. 

When the matter was thus laid before the Exe- 
cutive Committee, they approved the scheme, and 
requested Mr. Fullerton to leave Mynporie and com- 
mence the boys' school. They also expressed an 



IN NORTH INDIA. 205 

intention to send out another man to aid him. This 
order reached us at the close of 1851, shortly after 
my arrival at Agra. As the Committee intimated a 
desire that a commencement should be made during 
that cold season, Mr. Fullerton removed his family 
in February, and the school was opened on the 2d 
of March, 1852. We began it in a small hired bun- 
galow, near the Presbyterian church, with six scho- 
lars. 

Although I was not expected to take any part in 
the instruction of the school, yet Mr. Fullerton 
insisted that I should take upon myself the greater 
part of the arrangements to be made for it. With 
his help, therefore, and with the advice of several 
friends, I published a small pamphlet as an advertise- 
ment. In this we announced the principles, plan, 
and arrangements for the school, and made an appeal 
to the public. According to this plan the tuition 
fees were made about half the amount that had been 
usually paid in private schools. This at once brought 
the school within reach of a great number of people, 
who could not previously pay for schooling; and it 
encouraged benevolent persons to pay the fees for 
occasional very poor children. This was the opera- 
tion of our plan that we had anticipated; and it 
makes our school in a measure a great public charity. 
When I was leaving India the matter of rendering 
aid to poor scholars, both in the boys' and girls' 
schools, was being systematized, and placed in charge 
of a committee of persons desirous of doing good. 
The number of children of both sexes already receiv- 
ing assistance was considerable. 

We found ourselves peculiarly situated as to a place 
in which to keep this school. We had been author- 
ized to hire a house for Mr. Fullerton's family, and 
must, of course, have some place for the school; but 
whether we should hire one house large enough for 
both purposes, or a small one for each, the expense 
18 



206 MISSIONARY LIFE 

would be considerable. We had no resources for buy- 
ing a place save the sum appropriated for the rent of 
a dwelling-house a year, and the contribution that the 
Presbyterian church gave for my services. This we 
could appropriate to any local object without refer- 
ence to the Executive Committee in New York, under 
their own rule about local contributions. The sum 
was not then definitely settled, but the church pro- 
posed to give me one thousand rupees at once, to en- 
able me to buy a place. As the sum that would be 
saved by having no rent to pay, and this one thousand 
rupees, would be a considerable part of the sum neces- 
sary for purchasing a house, we were greatly inclined 
to make further efforts. Mr. Fullerton had not yet 
arrived, and left all the matter to my decision. I 
was afraid to undertake to raise so large a sum as 
would be necessary to complete the undertaking; but 
Mrs. Warren urged and encouraged a series of efforts, 
that resulted in the most complete success. This was 
neither the first nor the last time when my wife was 
the suggester, encourager and promoter of my most 
successful efforts. Other friends also, in this case, ad- 
vised me to go forward. I called on Mr. Thomason, 
the Lieutenant-Governor, and asked his advice about 
the advertising pamphlet, and his aid to our scheme. 
He gave several suggestions, and a thousand rupees. 
After this I secured the assistance of the leading 
civilians at Agra, several of whom gave me two hun- 
dred rupees each. Several kind friends gave me their 
names as sureties at a bank, so that I might at once 
have command of the necessary funds until the sub- 
scribers should find it convenient to pay. As soon as 
this was arranged we completed the purchase of a 
large house, out of repair, but in a very good situa- 
tion. It was built for a lyceum, ball-room, and Ma- 
sonic hall; and therefore had large rooms, and was 
quite the kind of place required for the school. We 
put it into a thorough state of repair, and so divided 



IN NORTH INDIA. 207 

it that Mr. Fullerton's family and the school had in 
it quite sufficient apartments. We did not then ex- 
pect the school to increase to such an extent as to 
make the house too small for the family, under two or 
three years at least ; and we saw that when it should 
do so, it would still leave two good rooms for an as- 
sistant, or that could be applied to any other useful 
purpose. When the school had been kept for two 
months in the small hired bungalow, it was removed 
to the new place; and in one month more Mr. and 
Mrs. Fullerton were settled in it. The account at 
the bank was settled and closed up by the end of that 
year, and the house was paid for without any appro- 
priation having been made for it by the Executive 
Committee, except the amount that would have been 
paid by that time for the rent of Mr. Fullerton's 
house. The school increased so much beyond our ex- 
pectations, by the beginning of 1853, that the house 
became too small for a family; yet it afforded suffi- 
cient rooms for Mr. Williams, who joined our mission 
from America about that time, and was unmarried. 
This building cost about five thousand and five hun- 
dred rupees. 

The Rev. R. E. Williams was an old friend of Mr. 
Fullerton. He went with the view of aiding us in 
our special work at Agra. In the same year he was 
made Principal of the school, Mr. Fullerton not wish- 
ing to retain the office, but continuing ready to re- 
lieve and assist him in any emergency. We had 
secured the services of an East Indian young gentle- 
man, well qualified for the office of head master, and 
of other assistants; so that, though Mr. Williams' 
work must be onerous for a time, it is to be hoped 
that he may finally arrange to have but little of the 
actual teaching to do, and may be able to give his 
time to the Hindu controversy, for which his great 
learning and talents abundantly qualify him. 

The school has grown till it has nearly one hundred 



208 MISSIONARY LIFE 

pupils; some of them from the Pan] 4b, on the one 
side, and some from Benares, on the other — a fact 
that shows the importance of the school to the country. 
It pays all its current expenses. Amongst the pupils 
are some native boys of good family, whose parents, 
though not Christians, wish their boys to be brought 
up with those who speak English, and have English 
manners and morals. For this purpose they pay more 
than the rates of the Government College, and take 
the risk of their sons being converted. Were it not 
that English and East Indian parents would object to 
a very great intermixture of heathen boys with theirs, 
we might, no doubt, have many more native boys. 
They learn the Catechism, read the Bible, stand at 
prayers, and receive the same religious instruction as 
the Christian boys. 

It may be asked by our friends, as it was by the 
immersionists at Agra, why we should set up a Pro- 
testant school there, when there was already one 
belonging to the Baptist minister. The reasons — its 
comparative inefficiency, its expensiveness, and the 
w T ant of security for its permanence — have already 
been mentioned. In regard to the latter, it ought 
to be added, that any place like the principalship of 
such a school cannot be so easily filled in India as in 
America, on the occurrence of a vacancy. Outside of 
the missions, proper men can rarely be found. This 
will not always be so: our school, and similar ones in 
Calcutta, will raise up a class of men and women fit for 
instructing their fellow-countrymen; but until this 
w T ork be accomplished, help must be given to them by 
the missions. These views, however, were not accept- 
able to parties, whose private and sectarian interests 
were injured by our action. I was loudly accused of 
setting up the school out of mere sectarian spite. It 
was in vain for me to plead, that neither the scheme, 
nor the order for its execution, was evoked by me. The 
most absurd and uncharitable motives were ascribed to 



IN NORTH INDIA. 209 

me; and I was treated as the enemy of a party, and 
the sole cause of all the injury they feared. They 
could not see the least force in the public grounds 
assigned for our action. But in the midst of their 
opposition to our scheme, its policy was sadly vindi- 
cated by the sudden death of the owner of their school. 
Various strenuous efforts were made to keep up his 
school, after his death ; but they all failed, and in the 
course of a few months it was totally abolished. We 
of course regretted the death of the Baptist minister. 
He had been a useful and good man, with whom it was 
painful to come into collision; although we did not 
think him and his friends right in the opposition they 
offered. 

A female school was considered scarcely less neces- 
sary than that for boys. Mr. Scott's scheme contem- 
plated both ; but our instructions from home were only 
as to one. But Divine Providence immediately began 
to press us onward in further measures for the educa- 
tion of that class of people. Two intelligent European 
girls were taken in hand by Mrs. Fullerton, and partly 
supported by some good ladies, in order to save them 
from being sent to the Nunnery school. A poor East 
Indian widow begged of Mrs. Fullerton to allow her 
two daughters to attend also. Then some neighbours, 
who could pay for the privilege, begged to be allowed 
to send in their children. This Mrs. Fullerton was 
induced to concede, so that she might hire some assist- 
ant. She procured the attendance of a young woman, 
and began a private school, not promising to continue 
it longer than it should suit her own convenience. She 
soon had fifteen pupils. 

This little beginning excited attention. There was 
a good lady at Agra, the wife of a civilian, whose 
name I would insert here did I not believe my doing 
so would be disagreeable to her, who looked about to 
see what other girls there might be who were unable 
to pay for an education. She soon found several. 
18* 



210 MISSIONARY LIFE 

Moved by what she had discovered, she begged dona- 
tions and monthly subscriptions, got two other ladies 
to join her to form a committee for the working of 
her scheme, and took all the poor girls upon her fund, 
including those whom Mrs. Fullerton had already ad- 
mitted, in order to leave her more means for procuring 
efficient assistance. This lady was so successful that in 
a short time she had a fund of about twelve hundred 
rupees, and monthly subscriptions nearly enough to 
cover the monthly outlay. This fund, and similar 
efforts in favour of poor boys, have since been amal- 
gamated, as already intimated. 

During the summer in which this informal school 
grew up, two things occurred that bore upon our 
schemes. The appointment of Mr. Williams was an- 
nounced, accompanied with the intimation that he 
would occupy the apartments in the boys' school- 
house ; and money was sent from New York for the 
purchase of a house for Mr. Fullerton's family. At 
the same time the prospect was held out to us of hav- 
ing more force attached to our station ; and a direction 
was indicated, in which it was hoped that the mission 
might extend the sphere of its operations. This 
movement seemed to promise that our forces would 
be so kept up, that the addition of a girls' school to 
our engagements would not embarrass us. But at the 
same time the Executive Committee had informed us 
that they could not sanction the establishment of this 
school. And yet, since this seemed to be said rather 
with a view to any expense that might be entailed 
upon the committee by such an undertaking, we did 
not consider it to be quite prohibited, if it could be 
supported without incurring additional expenditure. 

At the same time the prosperity of the school, the 
predictions of friends, and the urgency of all concur- 
ring circumstances, were such that we felt a good 
degree of assurance that the Executive Committee 
would soon be induced to order the full establishment 



IN NORTH INDIA. 211 

of the school. And if this should be done, and we, 
in the mean time, were to invest the money sent for 
an additional mission-house in a building only large 
enough for a family, we should at once be embarrassed 
by the want of a place in which to keep the school. 
The circumstances again made us feel that it was 
proper to proceed without instructions. I was again 
reluctant to assume such responsibility as was involved 
in setting on foot a permanent school without author- 
ity from home; but again my wife formed a scheme, 
and prepared to exert herself for my aid, and pressed 
me forward in what seemed to be the path of duty. 
We learned that a house, situated on the opposite side 
of the road from the boys' school, and well suited to 
our purpose, was for sale. We ascertained the lowest 
terms, and the latest day of payment. Then we de- 
termined to ask the advice and assistance of English 
friends, and to be guided by the developments of 
Providence. I went again to see Mr. Thomason, and 
stated all the circumstances to him. He said that he 
thought we ought to go on; — that I was, indeed, a 
servant of the Executive Committee, and bound to 
obey orders; but that I was also an agent, and could, 
in this case, do them better service by acting without 
orders; — and that our scheme had his most decided 
approval, and he would give us five hundred rupees 
towards buying the house. We then secured larger 
donations than before from the English residents at 
that and some other stations; and a particular effort 
amongst the class of people, for whose daughters the 
school was mainly intended, was quite successful. 
The Presbyterian church at Agra also gave me five 
hundred rupees towards this scheme, as a further ac- 
knowledgment of my services for the first year. For 
a time we were quite anxious as to the result; but I 
was led to persevere. The scheme, involving the ex- 
penditure of more than twice the money furnished 
from home for the house, was completed. I acquired 



212 MISSIONARY LIFE 

the name of the biggest beggar in North India,; but 
was sure that it was not applied to me in contempt, 
but rather indicated an increased degree of confidence 
and affection. This scheme afterward received the 
countenance of our Executive Committee; and the 
school flourishes so as to give good hope of its con- 
tinuance. 

The premises of the two schools are sufficiently 
near together to make them quite convenient for the 
mission, and yet so separated that the boys are quite 
separate from the girls. Together they present an 
imposing appearance. The cost of them was a con- 
siderable sum; but the community that aided us to 
buy them, and gave us about two-thirds of their cost, 
knew what we were doing, and would hardly have ad- 
vised and assisted us to do it, unless they had thought 
the outlay a judicious one. 

The girls' school is partly for day scholars, but 
boarders are kept in it. At first we did not in- 
tend that the boys' school should be so ; but it was 
soon found that it would be desirable to have the head 
master keep a boarding-house. Accordingly we en- 
couraged him to buy a house, the yard of which joined 
that of the boys' school. This will make his situation 
somewhat better than the salary which we could give 
him ; and it secures a place for boys from a distance 
under our own control," while we escape the main 
trouble and anxiety attending it. 

It is but right to mention the zeal and devotedness 
of Mrs. Fullerton in connection with the girls' school. 
The labour involved in the care and instruction of the 
school is very great, and the responsibility of the care 
of female boarders would not be easily borne, without 
any pecuniary recompense, by any one less heartily 
engaged in the Master's service. She has displayed 
the greatest patience under misconstructions and evil 
reports, even bearing to be asked if she considered 
her work to be missionary work. But she has already 



IN NORTH INDIA. 213 

an instalment of her reward: spiritual fruit has been 
produced; and the marvellous transformation of char- 
acter which results from her influence over the girls 
must be highly gratifying. 

Our operations at Agra have produced some inci- 
dental effects. A number of gentlemen joined us, 
during the cold season of 1853-4, in giving a miscel- 
laneous course of lectures to the English-speaking 
community. This effort was suggested by our mission, 
but it was taken up with so much spirit by all classes 
that the credit of it may fairly be considered public 
property. The gentlemen concerned did me the 
honour to invite me to give the opening lecture. The 
lectures were delivered in our boys' schoolhouse. 
Our good friend, the Hon. J. Thomason, Esq., Lieu- 
tenant-Governor of the Northwest Provinces, having 
died a very short time before, I took this occasion, 
with the consent of the mission, to introduce a short 
eulogium of him, mentioning him in connection with 
our schools, and dedicating the house, in which we 
were assembled, to his memory, by naming it " Thoma- 
son Hall" Almost immediately after this, my con- 
nection with Agra was closed by my departure to visit 
America. 

This account of the Agra schools has been given to 
show the liberality of the Indian Christian commun- 
ity, our relations with that community, and the nature 
of a part of our work at that particular station. The 
effect of labours, which we may expect to see, if they 
are followed up with perseverance, may be estimated 
by the account of the East Indians and the uncoven- 
anted service, which is contained in this work. The 
influence of the strictly European portion of the com- 
munity will always be very fluctuating; a station may 
at one time have three or four good men, or some ex- 
cellent ladies, who will form society on their own 
model to a great extent; and in a short time they 
may all be gone to other stations, and persons of a 



214 MISSIONARY LIFE 

quite different character may fill their places. The 
East Indian people are not strangers, serving a cer- 
tain number of years in the country, but are settled 
in it; and therefore a given amount of help and influ- 
ence derived from them annually is worth more to us 
than the same from those who are much higher in the 
scale of society, because it is more permanent. It is 
this fact that makes the thorough evangelization of 
this class of people so important. 

Those who have had patience to follow me to this 
point, will thank God for the good that accrues to our 
missions from the English and other Christians in 
India ; and they who know how sure all good is to be 
accompanied by evil in this world, will not be surprised 
to hear that some hinderances to our work arise from 
the same sources. According to my design, fully to 
display our circumstances in India, I will briefly men- 
tion the chief hinderances that are caused by those 
who are known to the heathen as Christians. 

There are usually within the field of our missions 
about six thousand European troops, besides the regi- 
ments of natives officered by Europeans. There are 
a few of these soldiers who are good men; but the 
immeifse majority of the privates are ignorant and 
depraved, perhaps to a greater extent than any other 
class of Englishmen in the world. They are recruited 
from the worst classes, and in India they are almost 
entirely freed from the moral restraints that surround 
them, and must influence them more or less, at home. 
Drunkenness and licentiousness strongly mark their 
conduct, whenever they can escape from the immediate 
restraints of military discipline. It is impossible to 
keep the natives from knowing their characteristics. 
Again and again are their character and conduct flung 
at the missionary; and we are advised to go to them, 
and not have the impertinence to recommend our reli- 
gion to others, until it has reformed our own people. 
We are obliged, in this and some similar cases, to 



IN NORTH INDIA. 215 

explain that there are two kinds of Christians — those 
who are simply called so from the nation or tribe they 
were born in, and those who are so by real faith. The 
only effectual way that I could ever find to answer the 
objection, was to say that our religion makes those 
who are under its power really better men; while the 
Mohammedan and Hindu faiths only make men self- 
righteous, and conceitedly devout, and malignantly 
bigoted. We can appeal to so many examples of all 
kinds, that our answer is not without its power, though 
it certainly does not fully neutralize the influence of 
wicked Europeans. Though there are a few good men 
in almost every regiment, and they are known to the 
officers, yet they are scarcely known to the natives, 
and have no influence on them. They hardly ever 
learn the language of the country, and their example 
is quite unknown and unnoticed. 

A large proportion of the East Indians formerly 
had the vices of both their parent races, and the vir- 
tues of neither. The drunkenness of the European, 
the duplicity of the Hindustani, and the weakness of 
a newly mixed race, formed a very undesirable cha- 
racter. Professing Christianity, and practising many 
native customs, they did the native religions no harm, 
while they compromised ours before the native com- 
munity. These people are now greatly improved, and 
there are most estimable persons amongst them. They 
marry mostly amongst themselves, and concubinage 
with native women is almost at an end. Their ranks 
have recently also been recruited from a better stock 
than formerly. But many representatives of their 
former character are still found. Many of the musi- 
cians of native infantry regiments, and some of the 
lowest of the copyists about the public offices, are still 
specimens of the class referred to; and here and there, 
scattered through the country, some are to be found 
sharking for a living. Their reputation is not favour- 
able to Christianity. They are often referred to by 



216 MISSIONARY LIFE 

our opponents ; but we are able to refer to many who 
are an honour to our religion. This class is increasing, 
and further labour on their behalf will still more in- 
crease their good influence. 

Too many military officers do us harm by their ex- 
ample. It is true, that the officers are generally a 
most respectable body of men; but there are excep- 
tions, and all exceptions are keenly noted by the 
natives. The notorious licentiousness of some, and 
the unscrupulous indebtedness of others, are unfa- 
vourable to our labours, for the same reason that the 
vices of European soldiers are so; and some of them 
actively oppose us. I have known the case of an 
officer, detached for civil employment, who had an 
intelligent Musalman in his office, on whom a strong 
impression had been made by our labours at Allaha- 
bad. This man asked the officer's advice about making 
a profession of Christianity, expecting encouragement 
to do so. He judged that a Christian would naturally 
like to see one converted to his religion ; but he was 
surprised to meet with abuse. The officer called him a 
fool ; asked him why he should change his religion, when 
one was as good as another; and told him that he had 
no right to do it, because he was born a Mohammedan, 
which was, therefore, what God had intended him to 
be. When the man argued that but one of the two 
faiths could be true, the officer called him a hog, and 
told him to mind his work. But such gross examples 
as this are rare. More harm is done by the prevailing 
levity and wildness of young officers, and by the 
general negative example of irreligion set by the great 
body of the army. But here we most thankfully note 
exceptions: there are those who honour Christianity, 
and labour for its advancement. And the domestic 
relations of officers are now much more creditable to 
Christianity than they formerly were. 

Though it is perfectly a digression, I will not 
scruple to say something more of the Mohammedan 



IN NORTH INDIA. 217 

mentioned in the preceding paragraph. The close of 
his history is covered with impenetrable obscurity. 
He was near being baptized by us, when he took a 
temporary leave of absence from the office in which 
he served, and went to see his family; and he 
never returned. He could not have stayed away to 
escape baptism; for he was not so committed to us 
that he could not have drawn back if he pleased. 
He would not run away from his service, for he 
could get nothing equal to it in worldly advantage 
anywhere else. We heard a report from the neigh- 
bourhood of his family, that after he had been with 
his friends a few days, his brothers gathered his 
cousins together, and two or three more staunch 
Mohammedans, and disputed with him till late at 
night. When the discussion had heated their temper, 
his elder brother solemnly called on him to abjure 
Christ, and promise not to be baptized. He answered, 
" I will die first." " Die, then !" shouted his furious 
brother, and cut him down with a sword. This story 
could not be authenticated; but his disappearance is 
otherwise unaccounted for. When the present dis- 
pensation is closed up, perhaps we shall see him and 
many more such martyrs amongst "the host of 
God's elect." And we shall be rewarded for our 
labour if our mission shall be the means of sending 
but one such there. 

Merchants, speculators, and travellers in India 
have exerted an evil influence. Planters also are 
often a stumbling-block. There have been examples 
of knavery, oppression, and vice, rivalling the utmost 
depths of native depravity. Native bankers cannot 
pretend to equal some of the transactions of English 
banks in that country. But here, again, there are 
redeeming points; there are men of these classes who 
have been an honour and a blessing to the country. 

Civilians have generally set a better example than 
other classes of the European community. More of 
19 



218 MISSIONARY LIFE 

them are married men, and live regularly and virtu- 
ously. They are not all such as they ought to be ; 
and occasionally one of them does more harm to 
Christianity than several good men can repair. 

Members of all classes of the nominally Christian 
community, do us a mischief by compliances with the 
native religions. On one occasion an officer of high 
rank visited a Hindu shrine near us, and when 
solicited by the priests, gave them sixteen rupees. 
He probably only desired a reputation for liberality ; 
but, instead of that, he got the reputation amongst 
the natives of having a sneaking regard for, and 
some fear of, the idol worshipped there. He knew 
that his donation would be considered an offering to 
the idol ; but he laughed at objections, saying, " Let 
the poor devils think what they will." 

Sometimes we have trials that arise from good 
men. Difficulties with assistants have been increased 
by their injudicious interference. A wicked (or 
crazy) apostate baptized Brahman has been paid for 
preaching for years, by a good old General, who 
would not believe that his protege preached against 
Christianity. There have been cases of interference 
in mission affairs by friends, which produced difficulty 
and embarrassment. I have known good men, who 
evidently expected us to consider their immense 
salaries and high official positions to be good argu- 
ments in any discussion. But it would be ungracious 
to dwell on the faults of the friends of our cause, 
even if we do suffer from them sometimes. 

The writing of this chapter has given me pleasure. 
There are sad things in it, as there are in all parts 
of this world's history. But in this case the good 
predominates. The influence of the English in India 
is in favour of, rather than against Christianity. 
And amongst the East Indians, and others who will 
make India their home, there will arise labourers to 
convert the natives, and supporters and comforters of 



IN NORTH INDIA. 219 

those labourers, concerning whom it shall be clearly 
written, u the wilderness and the solitary place shall 
be glad for them." 



CHAPTER IX. 



SUCCESS. 



It is but natural that all, who care anything about 
missions, should ask, What is the effect of all these 
operations, that are detailed and alluded to in this 
volume ? — and it is but reasonable that I should give 
them as clear an idea of it as I have tried to give of 
our situation and labours. Something will already 
have been gathered from the preceding chapters; for 
the personal anecdotes that I have related, contain 
accounts of some of our converts, and allude to 
more. I most heartily wish that I could tell a more 
stirring story of our successes than the truth will 
allow me to do. It would gladden the hearts of the 
missionaries to be able to report crowds of inquirers 
coming, and great numbers baptized ; it would save 
them from many an hour of heaviness, if they could 
see more souls given to them for their hire ; and it 
would doubtless stir up the activity of the Church at 
home to hear such accounts. But though we cannot 
tell of many having " believed our report," yet there 
is no reason for discouragement. There are two con- 
siderations that ought to have great weight in estimat- 
ing the value of our success. 

There has not yet elapsed sufficient time to secure 
any great amount of success. Every one, who has 
read accounts of missions, knows that from fifteen to 
twenty-five years pass in preliminary labour before 



220 MISSIONARY LIFE 

there is much fruit gathered. Those places that 
have been most distinguished by the blessings poured 
out upon them, have been cultivated with this amount 
of assiduous patience. If any one studies the mis- 
sions in Southern India, from the time of Schwartz 
onward, he will find that at first the amount of suc- 
cess was only sufficient to keep the labourers in heart 
and hope: and the field, where now the Episcopal 
and the Independent English, and the American 
Board missionaries are receiving village after village 
under their care for instruction in Christianity, for- 
merly supplied only families and individuals singly, 
with crosses, difficulties, and frequent defections. 
The history of the missions in the Sandwich and 
Society Islands is so well known, that they only need 
to be alluded to as cases in point. The missions in 
the Turkish Empire, though now their successes are 
sufficient to be thought one cause of the Russian 
movement in that direction, went through a long 
night of faith before they were favoured with such 
results. The Church missions in Bengal had been 
longer planted than any of ours, before the Krishna- 
gar movement gave indications of approaching day; 
and then they received, as we may say, at once, four 
thousand converts. And beside the actual converts, 
the influence of the truth has produced a sect amongst 
the natives, called Karta-Bhojds, (worshippers of the 
Creator,) said to number one hundred thousand souls. 
These men have cast off idolatry, and are much more 
accessible than others. They, in fact, occupy the 
position of a compromise between the truth and 
idolatry, to which they are brought by the combined 
action of the truth on the one side, and the pride of 
the natural heart on the other; they cannot remain 
in gross heathenism ; they will not, if they can avoid 
it, submit to the humbling doctrines of Christianity. 
We hope that their present stand is but temporary. 
And how long is it since the first Protestant mission- 



IN NORTH INDIA. 221 

aries went to China? Well might the faint-hearted 
have asked, When shall we see a result? But the 
Chinese rebellion has shown that the truth has pro- 
duced an effect — not altogether that which we would 
have desired — but one that at least shows that idola- 
try has been shaken to its foundations, and leaves, or 
will leave, the field clear for building up the truth on 
the debris of error. 

The second consideration is, that we have a 
greater amount of difficulties to contend with in India 
than perhaps anywhere else. Take into view first 
those mentioned in the preceding chapter, and those 
that are common to all our race of aliens from God. 
Then let us try to realize the obstruction thrown in 
our way by caste. All have heard of the four great 
castes of Hindus; and some may have thought that 
there must be many people who are not comprehended 
in any of these, and therefore will be without the 
trammels of this institution. And this was, no doubt, 
at first intended to be the operation of the system ; or 
perhaps it was intended by its founders, that all who 
fell from the higher castes should find a place in the 
lowest. But men can never fully calculate beforehand 
w T hat will be the effect of their policy; and probably 
the priestly caste little dreamed, when they settled 
their system of ranks, that outcasts and foreigners 
would so far follow their example as to band them- 
selves in castes in imitation of them. But this has 
happened — quarrels have split castes, the one party 
excommunicating the other; but neither party has 
forsaken the institution of caste — they have simply 
formed two instead of one. And these have again 
divided and subdivided, till no man knows their num- 
ber. Mistakes or omissions in their ritual have put 
Brahmans out of communion with the great body; but 
they have been able to form parties, and to retain 
the exercise of the priestly office in some places, 
though not allowed to be Brahmans in others; and 
19* 



222 MISSIONARY LIFE 

thus an endless variety of Brahmans is to be found. 
Illegitimacy has been the fruitful parent of new 
castes. Even the dead have formed a caste: — there 
is a town in Bengal, where those live who have 
recovered after being carried to the river to die. 
They are judicially dead according to Hindu law; 
and here they have settled, intermarried, have chil- 
dren, and observe caste amongst themselves, as much 
as if they had never lost caste, or had originated from 
one caste. There are a multitude of those whose 
parents lost caste ages ago, and they have banded 
together and formed new ones. The Mohammedans 
have fallen into the same custom, and are as careful 
to preserve a certain distance from others, totally 
uncommanded by the Koran, as any Hindus. Caste 
is genteel in Upper India. It is an appendage to 
character which no man is willing to own that he 
lacks. The effect of all this is, that no one is so low 
as to have nothing to lose by joining us. The ques- 
tion continually occurs, What shall we do out of 
caste ? And indeed it is a fearful thing to lose the 
privilege of ever eating again with parents, brothers 
and sisters, and other relatives, or of entering the 
house, or of aiding in sickness, or assisting to bury — 
to be cut off from all sympathy, and to become an 
object of detestation and loathing in exact proportion 
to the affection formerly enjoyed; and that too before 
the party the person joins is large enough to give 
security for some equivalent to these ruptured ties. 
Thus until the native Christians become so numerous 
as to form a recognized community by themselves, 
here will be a very great hinderance to the constitu- 
tionally timid, and to the w T eak in faith. Of all other 
mission fields ours most resembles the Turkish empire 
in this respect. The old churches there are like the 
castes in India in many things, especially in the un- 
social way in which dissidents are treated. 

And still another great obstruction is found in the 



IN NORTH INDIA. 223 

religious and philosophical systems of the country, 
and in its pseudo-civilization. It is not in the same 
situation as the barbarous islands were, which had 
lost all confidence in their idols, and presented, as 
nearly as possible, a tabula rasa, on which to write a 
new faith. In India there is a high and romantic 
mythology, to give character to its idolatry, present- 
ing the grossest idolatry to the lowest, a gross poly- 
theism to the half-educated, and a refined and philo- 
sophical pantheism to the higher classes. The doctrines 
of both the Mohammedans and the Hindus are well 
suited to the corrupt propensities of human nature — 
both to those of the low and gross, and to those of the 
lovers of self-righteousness and spiritual pride. The 
priesthood, instead of being mere ignorant mummers, 
are intelligent men, with so much knowledge as easily 
to impose on the masses and exercise a great influence. 
India has a history, both political and literary; and 
our attempt is to overthrow both opinions and a social 
system, which are the growth of ages, and are con- 
nected with a certain and well defined form of civili- 
zation. The attempt is sublime in its magnitude. No 
political revolution that was ever attempted half 
equals it. Were not our dependence on something 
infinitely higher than the power of man, this attempt 
would not have hope enough to make it ridiculous — it 
would be simply beneath contempt. We are certainly 
superior to the people of India in learning and civili- 
zation; but not so superior as to have the advantage 
given by the immeasurable distance between Euro- 
peans and savages. We have something more to do 
than to clear the ground and build: we have first to 
pull down. 

I have already mentioned the baptism of the first 
native convert at Allahabad as having occurred the 
first summer after my arrival. Within the next year 
^one of the catechists whom I have mentioned was re- 
ceived. From that time to the present, now and then 



224 MISSIONARY LIFE 

one has been received from the Hindus and the Mo- 
hammedans, and several from the orphan asylums. 
The ratio of conversions is increasing. Scarcely a 
month passes now, in which the accession of some one 
or more to our churches is not reported. Some 
native Christians have been received from other places; 
some have been dismissed to other churches; and 
several have died. There are now about forty native 
communicants, including some assistants who have 
been sent to out-stations; and about double this num- 
ber have been members of the church in all. The 
whole native community gathered there is about one 
hundred and fifty, including the children in the or- 
phan asylums. The history of all other missionary 
stations in North India, so far as my acquaintance 
extends, is similar to this in regard to accessions. 
Some have had more, some less. At some of them 
greater facilities exist for giving employment to con- 
verts than at others. While at Agra I sent the in- 
quirers from that place to Futtehgurh for this reason. 
The members of our churches are not, of course, all 
equally satisfactory as to character. Some of them 
are without much zeal and activity as Christians; and . 
some are weak and stumbling Christians, too selfish, 
too worldly, too unsteady. So were some of the con- 
verts of the Apostles ; and when this cannot be said of 
a great many Christians in America, then I will enter 
upon such an apology as may be made for these in 
Hindustan. And some of our people really are very 
good people, and profit by the means of grace. They 
are not all that we should desire, but they are a light 
amongst the heathen. To show what some of them 
are, I will refer the reader to an article of mine, writ- 
ten for one of the missionary periodicals, and repub- 
lished by the Board of Publication, entitled "Poor 
Blind Sally." It gives an account of a blind girl, 
who, through love of the Scriptures, made astonishing 
progress in learning English from a single gospel, the 



IN NORTH INDIA. 225 

only book we could then procure for her in the raised 
characters. Her spiritual attainments are set forth 
in that little work in such a light, that any reader of 
it will see that our labour is not fruitless. Another 
case is that of the young man, who went from our 
church to Agra with Mr. Wilson. Mr. Wilson pub- 
lished a notice of him when he died, which testifies to 
his sweet Christian character. Many a mourner for a 
dear brother has sorrowed less than did Mr. Wilson 
over the loss of this humble brother, whose body was 
the first planted in the yard of the new Presbyterian 
church at Agra. As another specimen of the work 
of grace amongst our people, I copy the following 
from a notice of Jatni, a deceased member of our 
church. It was written for childen, and for that 
reason may have too little dignity of style for some 
readers ; but I prefer not to alter it much. 

"You have, no doubt, often heard of happy deaths 
amongst Christians at home. Some of you have lost 
a father, or mother, or other dear friends, who have 
called you to their bedside, and have given you good 
advice, and taken leave of you. You may remember 
how your dear departed mother, in the paleness and 
weakness of approaching death, still looked happy ; 
and how her friends crowded around her bed with 
tears of sorrow and smiles of joy on their counte- 
nances — sorrow, that one so dear was about to be taken 
away; and joy, because she by faith could 'see heaven 
opened, and the Son of Man standing on the right 
hand of God.' You would not, perhaps, understand 
all that you saw; and your little hearts would be 
bursting with grief and fear. But still you can un- 
derstand enough to know, that true religion will give 
great comfort in the hour of death. This is so fre- 
quently seen in your favoured country, that if the 
death, which has occurred here, had taken place there, 
I should not have thought of writing about it for you. 
But, as I said before, it is in some points a new thing 



226 MISSIONARY LIFE 

here. And I will tell you about it, so that you may 
see that true piety is the same thing everywhere. I 
wish also that you should see, that God blesses your 
missionaries, at least in some degree. We do not yet 
see the desert blossom as the rose-garden, from the 
refreshing showers of the Spirit of grace ; but we are 
permitted to see, now and then, a rose springing up, 
and opening out its beauties, to show us that the seed 
is taking root in the ground ; and that it is the right 
seed, of our Father's planting, and not merely the 
seed of tares, sown by an enemy. 

"Many years ago, a Brahman, named Ranjit, made 
a profession of Christianity at Chunar, and put him- 
self under the care of the late Rev. W. Bowley. There 
he was baptized, and after a while made a catechist, 
or native assistant. He was engaged some years as 
superintendent of a village belonging to the Church 
mission at Chunar. We hope he w T as a true Christian ; 
but it is painful to have to say, that he was not at all 
times so consistent as it is necessary and desirable a 
Christian man should be. We must remember that he 
had been brought up a heathen till he became a man; 
and more, that he was a Brahman — a caste that has 
some temptations and some vices that are peculiar to 
them, but which are the necessary result of their being 
worshipped as gods by the common people. He died 
several years ago. 

" This man had two daughters, of the younger of 
whom I am about to tell you. She was married, when 
about fifteen years old, to one of the young men who 
had been brought up at that mission; and they were 
shortly after sent to us by Mr. Bowley, for employ- 
ment. Her husband has since become the foreman of 
the printing-office under my care here. Both these 
persons were educated in connection with Mr. Bowley's 
orphan schools. They were not orphans, but taught 
with the orphans. 

"You must understand, that we do not allow any 



IN NORTH INDIA. 227 

distinctions of caste amongst the Christians; they all 
visit each other, and eat together on such occasions, 
without making any difficulty about it. The Hindus 
call them Bhrasht, for this; that is, depraved, spoiled. 
But we teach them that only sin makes any one bhrasht; 
we tell them that nothing but good and bad conduct, 
and more or less education, ought to make any dis- 
tinctions amongst men. Our people generally get on 
very well together ; but you will not be surprised to 
hear that Satan sometimes tempts one and another of 
them to fancy themselves more genteel by birth than 
others. I remember very well, when I was a boy at 
school, as many of you are now, how some of us used 
to feel, because we lived in better houses, or had better 
clothes, or our fathers were rather more respectable 
than those of some others; and sometimes, when we 
were naughty enough to quarrel, we reproached others. 
I am ashamed of it now, whenever I think of it. I 
dare say some of you have done the same thing; and 
I hope you will soon be ashamed of it too. In this 
way I have known one to say here, 'I am the son of a 
Brahman, and your father was only a weaver; do you 
think to make yourself equal with me?' And another 
would say, 'I am a Rajput by birth, and your father 
was a cobbler; so what impertinence it is in you to 
think of disputing with me/ But this has very seldom 
happened, and for some years past scarcely at all. 
Our people are from almost every caste, and they get 
on together as peaceably as any community I ever 
knew. 

"The young woman of whom I am writing, was the 
daughter of a man of the very highest caste. Had 
her father continued in Hinduism, his daughter, while 
playing with the little girls of the village, might have 
taken their playthings away, or called them bad names, 
or pushed them, and they would not have dared to 
say anything. No children in your country can treat 
others so tyrannically as the high caste children here 



228 MISSIONARY LIFE 

can the low caste. She might have been worshipped; 
there are various times when the virgin daughters of 
Brahmans are worshipped especially. And it is alto- 
gether probable that sometimes she had thoughts of 
pride come into her mind about the fact that her 
father was a Brahman. 

"This young woman was baptized in her childhood 
by the name of Betsey ; but was also frequently, indeed 
generally, called by her native name, Jatni. She was 
received to the communion in our church, five or six 
years ago. At that time she passed an examination ; 
but we did not see anything very remarkable in her. 
She was so modest, so shame-faced, that she never 
could, while in health, talk with us very freely. I 
have often noticed, that she seemed to pay perfect 
attention to the preaching of the gospel ; and when I 
have been in her house to speak on the subject of reli- 
gion, she always seemed to listen with great interest, 
and to be glad of the opportunity to learn. If I asked 
her any questions, she answered me in a satisfactory 
manner, so far as her extreme modesty, or timidity, 
would permit her to speak. But though so shy, it was 
not long before we discovered that her character had 
many excellencies. Though we could not often hear 
of anything in particular that she did, yet she gained 
the respect and love of .all the native Christian com- 
munity. All the men were ready to point to her as an 
example for their wives; and all the women, without 
envy or strife, acknowledged her as the most excellent 
person amongst them. The customs of this country 
almost entirely forbid a respectable woman speaking 
to a man out of her own family; and Jatni was too 
unfeignedly modest to find fault with the custom, or 
transgress against it. So her influence was not brought 
to bear upon the men as that of a good woman so often 
is in America. But this was more the fault of circum- 
stances than of herself. On one occasion, one of our 
young men had been guilty of some bad conduct, and 



IN NORTH INDIA. 229 

I had thought it necessary to punish him. At first he 
resented it, and said he would not remain here; but 
he went on some errand to Jatni's house, and she 
asked him about his circumstances. He told her his 
griefs; and she told him how sin had brought them all 
upon him. She besought him not to go away. Her 
kindness brought him to tears and confession. He 
went to his work again, and has been a better man 
ever since. But her life was short; and the history 
of a quiet, modest, retiring female is soon written; it 
would not be so easy a task to write out an account of 
all the lovely traits of her character. 

"Now all this is in such marked and beautiful con- 
trast to the life of an ordinary native woman, that I 
love to dwell upon it. The heathen women are without 
education, and without useful employment, aside from 
cooking for their families. Their time is spent in use- 
less chatter, or clamorous quarrelling. A man would 
consider it the last and deepest disgrace to be known 
to have asked a woman's advice, or to have followed 
it when offered. Such a thing as a woman gaining 
influence for good, in a Hindu community, has not 
been know r n for the last two thousand years. But here 
was a woman, from amongst that very people, who, 
without effort, was a shining light to the full extent 
of her sphere; and without seeking it, exercised an 
influence on all around her. I gratefully acknowledge 
that, humble as she was, I valued the friendship she 
bore to my family. The last tears I saw on her face 
were shed when she sent her blessing to my little boy 
in America. Very pleasant was she to us. She never 
quarrelled, nor slandered, nor excited differences, but 
was a healer of divisions. The difference between her 
and her heathen countrywomen must have been seen, 
in order to be known; and all this was in such beau- 
tiful quietness and modesty, such feminine, and even 
lady-like delicacy. This woman was of the second 
generation ol Christians. The faults that I have 
20 



230 MISSIONARY LIFE 

hinted at, as existing in her father, did not appear in 
her. The benefit of early education in Christianity is 
here most manifest. Nearly all our hopes are placed 
on the generations to come, whose mothers shall have 
been Christians. 

" Jatni suffered many sorrows in her life. She 
had a darling little son. He was ' black, but comely.' 
It may be that you will be scarcely able to believe 
me when I say, that I have not seen five handsomer 
babies in my life than was little Abraham, black 
though he was; but it is quite true. He was finely 
formed, with a skin of the most perfectly healthy 
hue; his hair so fine, and his large, speaking, black 
eyes so pleasant. His head was most beautiful in 
shape. You may well believe that he was his mother's 
joy. At thirteen months of age he was suddenly 
cut clown by convulsions, after about a day's illness. 
My wife and I saw him die. Poor Jatni, who was 
not at all prepared for such an event, cast her arms 
around Mrs. Warren's waist, and hid her face in her 
bosom, and in a strain very similar to David's lament 
for Absalom, bemoaned her loss. But she neither 
did nor said anything unbecoming her Christian 
profession. After this she had another little boy, 
almost as fine a child as little Abraham, who died in 
the same way; and after this again a little daughter. 
On one of these occasions, for a few moments, she 
was almost wild with grief; but when I began to 
hold up to her view the heaven that is promised to 
believers and their infant children, she at once laid 
hold of and acknowledged the consolations of the 
gospel. 

"At last came sickness — fever, constantly return- 
ing in spite of all that could be done to check it. I 
suspected consumption, and soon it showed itself in 
a way that left no doubt but that we should soon 
lose her. I took the first favourable opportunity to 
ask her how she felt when the question came up in 



IN NORTH INDIA. 231 

her mind, whether she should get well or not. I 
asked this with all the care and softness that I 
could; because I knew she was so timid, and I feared 
she might be shocked and injured. But I was 
delighted to find that she had thought of it, and had 
come to feel willing that God should do with her, as 
to life, just as he pleased. I questioned her closely, 
and set death and the judgment before her plainly; 
but her nerves were firm, her eye clear, and her 
voice calm and steady: her uniform profession, from 
that time forward, was, 4 I know Christ, and can 
fully and completely trust him in all things. He 
keeps my mind in perfect peace.' No soldier on the 
field of battle, and no brave and strong man in dan- 
ger, ever faced death with more cool, unwavering 
courage, than did this weak, timid, shrinking woman, 
though shattered by sickness and pain. I saw her 
often, and always found her the same. 

44 Her disease was not very rapid in its destructive 
work. She wasted away for some months; some- 
times she had hope of recovery; but that hope did 
not produce any lessening of her resignation, nor did 
it seem to render her less fit for her great change. 
^ At length she gave up all hope. I saw very little 
difference in her after this. She seemed to be ready 
to go ; and the main thing that I could notice in the 
state of her mind, was a quiet, calm, trustful waiting 
for the set time. At last, one Saturday evening, I 
saw that she was very near her end. I talked with 
her about the work that the Saviour still had for her 
to do ; and told her to pray for grace to speak and 
testify for him to the last. I gave orders to be 
called during the night, if she should seem to be 
dying. But she lived throughout Sunday. I went 
to see her before going to church on Sunday evening, 
and found that she was peaceful. When I returned 
from church she was dead. 

44 As soon as it w T as known that I had come into 



232 MISSIONARY LIFE 

my bungalow, my best native Christian assistant 
came to tell me of it. To my surprise, he spoke in 
a tone of unusual animation, and he seemed rejoicing. 
I asked, 'How did she die?' 4 0, sir, such a thing 
was never seen in the native Christian community in 
this part of the country before. She called for you, 
and was sorry she could not tell you how much she 
thanked you for all you had taught her, and com- 
forted her. Then she called for all of us, and when 
we went to her, she asked, if she had offended any 
one; and said, that if she had, she begged for par- 
don. Then she . said, she wanted to tell us that 
Christ was with her, and that her heart was full of 
joy and faith. Then she bade us all farewell, and 
prayed for us. We all knelt down and prayed for 
her. She spoke to her heathen servant, and told 
him to become a Christian. Then she remained 
silent a few moments, and suddenly died.' I said, 
6 This is a very happy thing that has occurred, 
Baboo. This is not like a common death, that leaves 
a faint hope and a great deal of sorrow behind.' 
'No, sir; it is not. Come out and see the people. 
You will see how those who loved her best rejoice 
rather than mourn.' I went out, and found a large 
party of the Christians gathered in the verandah. 
The body was laid out- there. All were calm. I 
talked to them a little about what they had witnessed. 
Many of them confessed, that when they had heard 
from us how happily Christians had died, they had 
hardly been able to believe it; but now r they had seen 
it — it was a strange thing to them. They had known 
Christians to die with some calmness; but they had 
never seen one triumphant and joyful. 

"The next day we laid the body of dear Jatni 
beside those of her three children. After the prayer 
at the side of the grave, one of the native Christians, 
apparently from a strong impulse, took up, in the 
Hindustani language, the beautiful words of the 



IN NORTH INDIA, 233 

Episcopal burial service — beautiful when said over 
the grave of a true believer — 'Forasmuch as it 
hath pleased Almighty God, of his great mercy, to 
take unto himself the soul of our dear sister, here 
departed, we therefore commit her body to the 
ground; earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust; 
in sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal 
life, through our Lord Jesus Christ.' Then we all 
sprinkled some clay on her coffin, and left her i body, 
still united to Christ, to rest in the grave till the 
resurrection.' 

"What a glorious faith is the Christian's ! Dear 
reader, 'What think you of Christ?' Is he worth 
following? Will you ever be able to find another 
friend that can so stand by you in your greatest 
extremity. 

"What think you of preaching Christ? It was 
preaching Christ that produced these scenes, of 
which I have been writing. What do you think 
would have been the end of Jatni without the gospel ? 
Sullen stupidity and hardness of heart — the death of 
a beast; or raving fear, calling on idols for help, and 
finding none; or blaspheming anger against the 
gods, for so soon calling her away from life. These 
are common ways in which death is met in this coun- 
try. And what would her friends have done without 
the gospel ? They would have jumped about as if 
fire were being applied to their limbs, and would 
have screamed like mad people; and would have 
beaten their heads against the side of the bedstead or 
the walls of the house; their eyes would have rolled 
about, while thev beat their breasts and tore their 
hair. I have seen all this. Who, then, would say 
we ought not to send the gospel to India? 

" Give me to appear before the great white throne, 
with but one such Indian diamond in my crown, if 
it may be no more, and I am content !" 

I have given this obituary thus at length, because I 
20* 



234 MISSIONARY LIFE 

could not see what to leave out. I could much more 
easily add more. These also are not all the cases 
that could be brought forward. All our missions 
have witnessed scenes of peace on the death-bed, if 
not of triumph. But I desire not to weary my read- 
ers, and therefore will not do more in this particular 
direction; though I am well aware that true Chris- 
tians are more pleased with such exhibitions of spirit- 
ual fruit than with any other indications of success. 

Though the salvation of individual souls is the 
most pleasing proof of success, yet the general effect 
of our labours on the country is by no means to be 
left out of sight. Some persons may even think such 
an effect of more consequence than any other form of 
success; because, if Christianity be once planted 
there, the salvation of souls will follow as a matter of 
course. For this reason I will make as careful a 
statement as possible of the influence on public ideas 
which Christianity has gained. 

Much has been gained by our religion by a general 
impression having been created in its favour. Fifteen, 
or even ten years ago a native Christian was es- 
teemed a monster. A convert was not said to have 
changed his religion, but to have lost it — to have be- 
come an infidel, or worse. Latterly this prejudice is 
much abated, and the native Christians are acknow- 
ledged to have a religion. Once they were reviled, 
pushed away from the wells and other public places, 
and were a proverb for everything low. To become 
a Christian, was, in the estimation of the public, to 
throw off every restraint, to indulge every evil pro- 
pensity, and to wallow in all degradation. The 
Christian was known to regard no kind of food as 
unholy, and therefore he was considered as worse 
than even the Chamars, who acknowledge some re- 
straints, though they eat cattle that die of disease. 
The only notion that was generally entertained as to 
the restraints of religion, was that they related to 



IN NORTH INDIA. 235 

food and personal connections; but now the natives 
known that our religion inculcates a pure morality, 
self-denial, and labour for the good of others. Since 
this knowledge of Christianity has been spread abroad, 
as well as a general notion of its doctrines, the na- 
tives treat Christians with much more consideration, 
and look on our religion as something really respecta- 
ble. It is a great thing to have been able to get the 
idea of a spiritual religion, and one that is connected 
with good morals, implanted in the general mind of 
the community. Along w 7 ith this knowledge of our 
faith is widely spread the impression that it will ulti- 
mately prevail. We are often told by the natives 
that we shall finally uproot Hinduism ; that the pre- 
sent generation will not be converted, but the next 
probably will, &c. These impressions afford us more 
facilities in preaching than we formerly enjoyed. 
Once Br&hmans could easily drive away an audience 
from us; now it is rarely attempted, and the attempt 
almost always fails. Once we were often opposed by 
certain other classes, who now usually avoid us. 
There were certain standing objections to Christianity 
and defences of Hinduism, which were often brought 
forward by our opponents, and are now generally 
abandoned. There were gross slanders current about 
our converts, such, as that we bought their adhesion 
with money and women,* which are now 7 obsolete, and 
seldom repeated. All these impressions, that have 
been made upon the mind of the country, are valuable. 
They are not saving impressions; and nothing short 
of these ought to satisfy us. Yet we are not to des- 
pise them. God is glorified when the religion of 
Christ is only recommended to men by its good fruits, 
Matt. v. 16. And this work has been done to such 
an extent that something like an excitement has been 

* A favourite story used to be, that we had engaged to give each 
convert a European wife — such a wife being considered beyond 
measure valuable. 



236 MISSIONARY LIFE 

produced in different parts of the country. The work 
at Krishnagar has been referred to already, in which 
a multitude were converted. This is below our terri- 
tory, and where missions have been maintained longer. 
In our region we have seen something approaching to 
it. Near Futtehgurh a village was for a time in a 
state that gave great hopes, and which caused very 
much talk in that region. This unhappily died away 
without the fruit that had been hoped for; but we 
still hope that some favourable effects of it will yet 
appear. Near Lodiana is a sect that professes to 
worship only Jesus. It derives its doctrines from 
our books, and adds to them. Probably there is much 
that is wrong and unchristian in this sect; but the 
movement is indicative of a ferment caused by the 
leaven of truth. We also hope that some of these 
people may yet be led to the truth by it. Other facts 
of this kind also show that our doctrines are spread- 
ing, and are producing effect- — there is a shaking of 
the dry bones. 

The effect that has been produced upon the prevail- 
ing ideas of caste ought to be noticed. Formerly 
when a person lost caste, he was not only socially 
avoided, but he was considered wicked and despica- 
ble. To speak to him was a disgrace. His relatives 
avoided him as they would the plague, and even hated 
him. He had not only lost his social position, but 
had brought a disgrace upon all his family. Caste 
was connected with religious, as w T ell as with social, 
ideas. There has occurred a great change in this 
respect. Caste has not been abolished — perhaps is 
not near being so; but it has lost the character of 
holiness. If a man breaks its rules he is equally ex- 
cluded now as formerly; but the exclusion now relates 
to the table, to intermarriage, and the like. It does 
not cause people to treat the outcast with scorn. 
They will not eat with him ; but they content them- 
selves with avoiding him in this and similar things. 



IN NORTH INDIA. 237 

He is rather treated as a stranger than a disgraced 
person. When I first went to India there were fre- 
quent cases that I was acquainted with, in which men 
fell under suspicion of having transgressed the rules 
of caste, and were always promptly suspended till 
they could prove their innocence or make atonement. 
The least suspicion alarmed the caste immediately, 
and they most jealously guarded their purity. An 
accused man had the burden of proof laid on him — ■ 
no one was called to prove his offence, but he must 
prove his innocence. This whole thing is changed 
now. The Hindus have grown so indifferent to the 
old ideas of the holiness of caste, that they do not 
care how much a man may be suspected. Let him 
eat what, and with whom, he will, and his compeers 
will deny and disbelieve it as long as possible. They 
will refuse to take up and examine the most probable 
charges. The whole burden of proof is laid on the 
accuser. We had a young Brahman candidate for 
baptism, who several times ate and drank with us and 
our people, and afterward repented of his intention, 
and went away from us. It was often told to the 
members of his caste that he had broken caste, but 
they would take no cognizance of the case, unless a 
member of the caste would come forward as accuser, 
and produce eye-witnesses; and as none of us would 
go to give testimony, there could be no conviction. 
He told me, when I asked him about it, "They know 
that I should join with the Christians immediately if 
they put me out; and though they know I am totally 
a transgressor, for whom no atonement can be made, 
yet they do not choose to believe it." A native 
Christian woman of ours, at first despised and rigidly 
exiled by her family, was at length invited to visit 
them, and was visited by them at my place. They 
seemed to have very pleasant intercourse, save that 
the heathen relatives avoided eating with her. This 
relaxation of caste is very significant and important. 



238 MISSIONARY LIFE 

The institution may linger a while; but we may look 
for more and more infractions of its rules continually. 
The ideas of gentility, as connected with high birth, 
will cause the higher castes to claim consideration on 
account of it for a long time to come ; but when it 
comes to be a mere sign of social rank, it will be only 
a chained lion in our way. 

The general effects above spoken of, are evident 
from the number of persons that become inquirers for 
a time, and who, if they do not become converts to 
Christianity, probably assist much to spread a know- 
ledge of its doctrines and spirit. There is hardly 
any time when each station has not one or more per- 
sons under special instruction. These persons are of 
all castes, and from all parts of the country. Some 
of them prove converts, and are admitted ; some grow 
weary, and leave us when they find our religion so 
spiritual, and see that they have not the character we 
require, and do not like that character, and find that 
we have no ceremonies with which the conscience may 
be amused in the absence of a knowledge of the blood 
of sprinkling; and some come from worldly motives, 
play the hypocrite while it serves their purpose, and 
then go away. Some also are prevented from making 
a profession of Christianity by peculiar causes or 
infirmities. I will here give some personal anecdotes, 
which will show what is meant, better than these mere 
general statements. It will not be necessary, in this 
connection, to give the history of a convert; for these 
may be sufficiently gathered from other places. I 
will only mention some of those who have not yet 
made a profession of Christianity. 

About seven years since, I visited a village thirty- 
five miles above Allahabad, on the bank of the Ganges. 
The village possesses peculiar interest from two facts. 
It formerly had a fort, which commanded the Ganges 
at that point, built upon an eminence of about one 
hundred and fifty feet — one of the only two considera- 



IN NORTH INDIA. 239 

ble heights that I know of on the Upper Ganges. This 
fort was the stronghold of a Hindu king, and was 
taken, after a long siege, by one of the early Moham- 
medan emperors. An immense number of persons 
perished in the besieging army. The tradition is, that 
the number was only five less than a hundred thousand ; 
and the Mohammedans say, that, as they all perished 
either in fighting for the faith, or in attendance on the 
army of the faithful, had there been only five more, 
to make up the round hundred thousand, the place 
would have become as holy as Mecca the Honourable. 
The burying-ground outside of the town is one of the 
most impressive of all scenes, presenting as complete 
a notion of the horrors of Avar as can be found. On 
battle-fields the dead are thrown into a common trench, 
and their graves do not afterwards suggest the details 
of the slaughter ; but here, as the sword or the pesti- 
lence cut down one after another, they were separately 
buried, and a brick grave constructed for each, of dif- 
ferent sizes and styles, corresponding to the different 
ranks. These graves remain, in all states of preserva- 
tion and decay, covering a desolate plain of great 
extent, and forming a monument of the siege unequal- 
led in size and appropriateness. 

The other interesting fact is, that ever since the cap- 
ture of that fortress, the town has been the residence 
of some Mohammedan families of distinction, which, 
though now much decayed, are still considered to be- 
long to the principal aristocracy of the country. I 
visited some of these families, and preached there, 
beside holding disputations in two of their houses. I 
found that Mr. Scott, my associate in the voyage to 
India, had stopped there on his way to Futtehgurh, 
and had given them some tracts. A young man 
seemed much interested when I preached, and followed 
me around, offering me such polite attention as he 
could. Afterwards he visited me at my house repeat- 
edly, held arguments, made inquiries, and read such 



240 MISSIONARY LIFE 

books as I recommended. He made acquaintance with 
my native Christians, and received much instruction 
from the catechists. We had great hopes of him, and 
his friends considered him to have gone so far as to be 
unworthy of the social privileges of caste. They re- 
fused to eat or drink with him, till he should renounce 
intercourse with us. He continued in this way for 
several months, and professed to have entirely lost his 
belief in Mohammedanism; of the truth of which pro- 
fession I have no doubt. He found difficulties in some 
of the doctrines of the New Testament, especially in 
that of the divinity of Christ. We could not persuade 
him to let the discussion of such points alone, till he 
had examined the main question, as to the authority 
of the gospel ; but he would perplex himself with them, 
xifter exciting our hopes to the utmost, he gradually 
grew cool, and drew back; though he still professes 
friendship for us, and a general belief in Christianity. 
His friends were very anxious about him all the time 
that he was himself anxious; and they often visited 
us, and sought to put us down by argument. The ex- 
citement about this young man was the occasion of a 
great deal of preaching; and many of the friends of 
his family became acquainted with Christianity to a 
great extent. We still hope for good effects from this 
case. 

On one Sabbath morning, I went to preach for one 
of the other missionaries at the mission church, leaving 
my assistant, Babu Hari, to preach at the chapel con- 
nected with the printing-house. As I have before 
stated, this chapel faces the bazar road, and is often 
attended by Hindus and Mohammedans from curiosity. 
After I returned, Babu Hari brought to me a young 
man, apparently about twenty-two years old, who 
had attended his preaching that morning, and after- 
wards called on him at his house. I noticed that the 
Babu appeared much pleased; and on asking what had 
happened — what the young man wanted — I learned 



IN NORTH INDIA. 241 

that he had been found, after the service, looking at 
the Babti's house from a little distance, and expressing 
a great desire to make his acquaintance. On being 
introduced, he told the Balm that he had long been 
seeking the way of salvation ; that ever since his mere 
boyhood he had been dissatisfied with Hinduism, and 
had sought for spiritual direction from the Mahratta 
Brahmans, amongst whom he had lived in Central 
India, without finding any rest, or good hope that his 
sins would be forgiven, through any course which they 
directed him to pursue; that he had then practised 
austerities under the direction of some faqirs, who 
lived on Mount A'bti, with the same want of success; 
that he had then attached himself to some Moham- 
medan faqirs, and found no relief under their direc- 
tion; and that latterly he had been wandering as 
chance led him, in the hope that he should find some 
one to show him the right way. Then, he said, this 
morning, when I saw your chapel open, and one or 
two going in, I also went in ; and you were just stat- 
ing how Christ, by the sacrifice of himself, had laid 
the ground for the full pardon of all who believe, 
and lives and reigns now to intercede for and govern 
his people; and that our own righteousness can never 
do us any good, while his is perfect. It came into 
my heart at once, "This is the righteousness that you 
need: you know how long you have tried to gain 
righteousness, and cannot — and here it can be given 
to you. This is what you want." On further con- 
versing with him, I thought he appeared more like an 
apostolic convert than any one I had ever seen; he 
seemed so entirely humble, and perfectly sensible that 
he was a ruined and helpless sinner, and appeared 
able to see through the doctrine of substitution so 
clearly; his love of God and Christ seemed so sim- 
ple, grateful and childlike; and his past ignorance of 
the gospel seemed so complete, while his ready acqui- 
escence in its statements was accompanied with such 
21 



242 MISSIONARY LIFE 

admiring wonder and joy, that the Babti and I could 
scarcely refrain from tears. We kept him with us, 
and instructed him. We found that, though a Mah- 
ratta, he could understand Hindi very well, and had 
no difficulty in reading it, because both languages are 
usually written in the Sanscrit character. A gentle- 
man authorized me to give him four rupees a month 
as a subsistence allowance on his account, till we 
should see what he would prove to be. He remained 
with us about six weeks, and read industriously, 
attending all our religious services, both social and 
public. At the end of that time, when the cool sea- 
son was just setting in, he came to me in the morning 
and asked for a month's allowance in advance, to 
enable him to get a padded cotton surcoat for winter, 
and said that he was going down to the city to get it. 
He then borrowed a fine suit of winter clothing, which 
had just been purchased by one of the young men in 
the printing-house, giving him the same account of 
what he intended to do, and started for the city. We 
never saw or heard of him afterwards. We debated 
many questions about him, with no result. Had he 
been a hypocrite all the time? His disappearance 
with the money and borrowed clothes looked like it. 
But if so, where did he get the knowledge of Chris- 
tianity that enabled him to play his game in such an 
exquisitely perfect manner? If he was a true man, 
what became of him ? Was it not possible that he 
fell into the hands of Thugs, or some other class of 
robbers, and was put out of the way? Mysterious 
disappearances from such causes were not at all un- 
common formerly, though less frequent lately. Our 
general impression was, that he was a thief; but while 
we were thus blaming him, perhaps he was gone a 
saint — perhaps a martyr — to glory. It is not likely 
that we shall ever, in this world, learn more of this 
chapter of my experience. 

One of the members of our church at Allahabad is 



IN NORTH INDIA. 243 

the son of a Mohammedan gentleman, who is the 
head of one of the twelve sacred families of that city. 
The father had long been in the habit of cultivating 
the acquaintance of English gentlemen; and when our 
mission was formed at that place he made our ac- 
quaintance. We talked much with him, and were the 
means of convincing him of the truth of Christianity. 
His son was introduced to us by him, and soon 
wished to profess our religion. The father made no 
objection, and the son was received. The father 
often proposed being baptized; but as often as he did 
so, he had some scruple, or made some difficulty, that 
hindered the affair. At one time he objected to sit- 
ting at the communion-table, on account of two or 
three of our members, who had been low caste Hin- 
dus. At another, he objected to the use of wine at 
the communion, because he had never used it, and 
feared it would make him sick. At another, he said 
his baptism must be in private, and kept secret, be- 
cause he was afraid he should be murdered by his 
relatives. And at another time he said he would be 
baptized, if we would allow his body to be buried by 
his Mohammedan friends, and as that of a Mohamme- 
dan; because he was descended from kings, and was 
far too noble to lie down with the indiscriminate mob 
of the dead in a Christian burying-ground. We faith- 
fully and affectionately met his objections, teaching 
him as he needed; and he often appeared so well, 
giving up his objections, that we were frequently on 
the point of baptizing him; but then he would always 
stay proceedings by some new fancy, or by the exhibi- 
tion of something unchristian in his disposition. After 
he had passed several years in this way, he at last came 
to the conclusion that Christ would receive and save 
him without baptism; saying that he was only nomi- 
nally a Musalman, and was known by all not to prac- 
tise any Musalman rites, and to believe in Christ. 
He is old and somewhat childish now; and how far 



244 MISSIONARY LIFE 

the decay of his intellect, and the power of his former 
prejudices, may have caused true faith to be imper- 
fect in its action and development, we cannot tell. 
I saw him when last in Allahabad, and exhorted him 
to become a Christian. He answered me, with a 
smile, "I am a Christian. " He had come to see me 
at considerable inconvenience to himself, being old 
and sick; and showed a good deal of affection for me 
and my family. 

A few years since I formed an acquaintance with 
a lawyer, practising in the courts at Allahabad, on 
the occasion of having some business in one of the 
courts as treasurer of the mission. Out of our busi- 
ness connection grew up a considerable acquaintance 
and intimacy between the lawyer and our catechists; 
and we talked with him about Christianity. After I 
left Allahabad for Agra his intimacy with our people 
and my successor continued, and I heard that he was 
near making a profession of our religion. But when 
I came down again, on my way home, he came to see 
me, and showed me his doubts about the divinity of 
Christ and the inspiration of Paul's epistles. I know 
not how he had imbibed such doubts. We conversed 
together about three hours, and I tried to settle him 
in the faith, but not with decided success. He seemed 
to me to be completely converted from Mohammedan- 
ism, but not to Christianity; though he appeared 
devout and honest. The last that I knew of him was, 
that he remained suspended in doubt, but still under 
instruction. It is probable that his self-conceit as an 
intellectual and learned man, and perhaps his vanity 
as an acute disputant, hindered him from a full recep- 
tion of the truth. 

Our brethren at Saharunpore have had an interest- 
ing case of a convert from a village near that place, 
whose baptism was delayed till he was taken sick, 
when he caused himself to be brought to them, and 
would have been baptized, had not they thought that 



IN NORTH INDIA. 245 

the natives would say, that they had improperly 
wrought upon him to receive the ordinance when he 
was senseless or imbecile. He died professing faith 
in Christ, and his family and connections are still 
well disposed towards us. 

There are other persons, whose cases illustrate the 
fact that our doctrines are spreading and becoming 
influential. There are some who believe, and yet do 
not become personally acquainted with any mission- 
ary, and have not the opportunity to learn anything 
about the way of confessing Christ before men. 
There may be many hidden ones here and there, who 
have not access to any church, and do not know the 
usual mode of proceeding after believing. An instance 
of this kind is noticed in the fifth chapter, in the 
account of the fair of 1850; and another in a letter 
quoted from a friend. A young man of my acquaint- 
ance recently died at Allahabad confessing Christ 
earnestly, though he had not had decision enough to 
give up all for Christ by joining us. I knew a debat- 
ing society of Hindus at Agra, who opened their 
meetings with prayer in the name of Christ, and 
wrote their performances on the basis of Christian 
truth, though none of them were yet prepared to lose 
all for Christ. 

Our churches have received considerable accessions 
from the orphan asylums. These institutions have 
been very useful. They were formed during and im- 
mediately after the great famine of 1837. These 
asylums are accounted for in Chapter III, on the 
printing-house. From these all the churches have 
received accessions, and the native Christian commu- 
nities are much enlarged by them. Many of these 
people are now married, and are raising up families 
in our connection. These asylums have preached loud- 
ly to the heathen. The benevolence that gathered 
and sustains them has been a beautiful proof of the 
kind spirit of Christianity. They are therefore most 
21* 



246 MISSIONARY LIFE 

important. Some of our native assistant preachers 
have come from them. All the members of commu- 
nities, that have been raised up in them, have been 
entirely separated from all native castes, and have no 
interests conflicting with their Christian relations. 
Too much ought not to be expected of them; for the 
bad health that results from their early privations, 
and the helplessness of character that often is pro- 
duced hy such a secluded education, operate as hin- 
derances to their usefulness. But the valuable labours 
and influence of many of them, the nuclei they form 
for communities, and the improvement in their child- 
ren, are advantages gained, that ought to be estimated 
highly in an account of our success. 

A sign that our doctrines are producing an effect 
upon the country, is found in the fact, that works of 
controversy against them have been called forth. The 
Mohammedans and Hindus would never have written 
against us, had they not seen that there was a danger 
to their systems, to b£ averted if possible. The Mo- 
hammedans have produced many works, the greater 
part of which are against the Christian views as to the 
Godhead, and the authenticity of our Scriptures. One 
of these books enters very largely into an exhibition 
of alleged discrepancies of Scripture; and to make 
these appear as numerous' as possible, the author takes 
up our different translations, together with the Persian 
and Arabic ones, and takes the same verse from all, 
giving his own interpretation of what each version 
means, and so making the differences to appear as 
great as the most strained and unfair treatment can 
do. These works also bring forward other objections 
to the Bible. The stories of Noah's intoxication, and 
of Lot and his daughters, are treated as profane and 
wicked slanders of prophets, and are said to be sure 
indications that the book is not the true and original 
book of God, but a corruption of it. They also allege 
that there were prophecies of Mohammed as the last 



IN NORTH INDIA. 247 

of the prophets, which we have erased from the Old 
and New Testaments; and thus they attempt to show, 
that although they do profess to believe in the Penta- 
teuch, the Psalms, and the Gospel, they need not and 
ought not to allow our Bible to be of any force in 
controversy. These books have been answered, and 
several others written, attacking their systems. Our 
missions have produced some valuable books bearing 
on this controversy. The circulation of native books 
is rather limited. 

The Hindus have made less attempts to defend their 
system in this way. One such was made at Benares, 
a few years ago. A young Pandit was induced by the 
Benares Brahmans to stand forward as their champion, 
and write a refutation of the Bible; but his attempt 
resulted in his own conversion, and he is now a useful 
preacher of the gospel. * 

Much has been done for Christianity by schools. 
All our mission stations have schools of various kinds. 
There are small vernacular schools, with Hindu teach- 
ers, in which Christian books are used, and which the 
missionaries visit as often as they can, to give them 
religious instruction. They also often make the places 
where these schools are kept, stands for preaching. 
Many boys that are brought up in these little schools 
remain our firm friends, and the most intelligent 
hearers of preaching amongst the common classes of 
natives. I have several times been befriended and 
supported in my efforts in the bazars, by former pupils 
in our schools. Every station also has its central 
school, in which English and science are taught, as 
well as the vernacular. 

Lately there has grown up a feeling, in certain 
quarters in America, that missionaries ought not to 
engage at all in giving instruction in secular know- 
ledge, but ought to confine themselves to the direct 
preaching of the gospel. This agitation I regret; for 
popular excitements are always liable to proceed too 



248 MISSIONARY LIFE 

far. If this movement should result in the destruction 
of schools, instead of being confined to the correction 
of occasional abuses, it will be evil. I have never been 
engaged in teaching a native school to such an extent 
as at all to identify me personally with them, or give 
any bias to my convictions on this point; and there- 
fore I may claim to be a better judge of the policy of 
teaching than a professed teacher would be allowed to 
be; and better, perhaps, than those who have had less, 
or no opportunities for extended personal observation. 
First, then, the teaching of a school does not usually, 
and ought never to hinder a missionary from preach- 
ing. Whoever has read my chapters on preaching at 
the stations, and itinerating, will perceive that a mis- 
sionary who teaches a few hours in the day, may still 
have the morning and the evening for street and chapel 
preaching. If any neglect this branch of their labour, 
they should be dealt with as individuals, and brought 
to their duty. To abolish the schools would be a poor 
remedy, and probably not a successful one. A man 
who will not preach when he has the opportunity, 
should be recalled. The teacher may, and ought to, 
spend his winter vacation in itinerating. The schools 
ought to be so arranged that the missionary should 
not be employed in teaching more than two or three 
hours daily; and then he would have no excuse for not 
preaching at least once a day. The schoolroom is as 
good a preaching-place as any other. Indeed it affords 
more facilities than the street. We here retain the 
same audience through many successive occasions, and 
thus have a better opportunity to enforce and illus- 
trate the truth; while in the street we have the most 
fluctuating attendance. Not that the street ought to 
be forsaken for the school; and, equally, the school 
ought not to be abolished for the sake of the street — 
especially when both can be attended to as well as 
either alone. 

Secondly, it is a fact that no instruction can be 



IN NORTH INDIA. 249 

given to Hindus on such matters as geography and 
astronomy, without proving to them the falsehood of 
some of their sacred books, and showing them most 
clearly the absurdity of some of their religious dog- 
mas. And if the missionaries do not teach them, 
they leave them so much under the influence of their 
pandits, whose power is, to a great extent, founded on 
their supposed knowledge of these matters. Not to 
teach, is to surrender the use of powerful weapons to 
our adversaries. And if the reader will refer to my 
remarks on the importance of a Christian literature, 
contained in the chapter on the preparation of books, 
he will see the importance and necessity of our teach- 
ing history, in order to prepare the native mind for 
the reception of the evidences of our religion. I do 
not mean to limit the power of God's grace, which 
can produce conviction in any circumstances; but 
still I am writing on the principle that means ought 
to be adapted to produce the end desired. 

Another reason for giving secular instruction is, 
that it benefits the people; and it is the work of 
Christianity to practise all kinds of beneficence. 
One of the most powerful objections to Christianity, 
which are ignorantly brought forward by infidels, is, 
that it is all for the soul, and nothing for the body ; 
and the best answer that can be given to the objection 
is, to point to the schools and hospitals, and similar 
institutions, that exist almost exclusively in Chris- 
tian lands. Now, the natives of Hindustan see the 
benign nature of our religion in the schools that we 
support and teach; and thus these institutions actually 
preach- — sometimes with a more distinct and forcible 
utterance than could be employed by their teachers 
in any other capacity. 

The last that I heard of the mission-school at 
Allahabad, it had six hundred scholars on its roll, and 
the roll was purged every month of all names marked 
absent during the whole previous month. The mis- 



250 MISSIONARY LIFE 

sionary at the head of that school can give a lecture 
every morning on the passage of Scripture read, 
which will be understood and appreciated by about 
half of the school— a far larger audience than he could 
usually gain in the town. He can teach Bible lessons 
to the higher classes ; his native Christian teachers 
do the same to the lower classes; the pupils all learn 
Scripture history and the evidences of Christianity; 
and the whole powerful influence of the institution is 
in favour of the truth. 

" Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with 
thy might." We ought to use all the instruments 
of doing good; and in such proportions and combina- 
tions as shall accomplish the greatest amount of good. 
We ought to preach and teach, to write and print. 
Why is it necessary that contending for one thing 
that is right should set us against another thing that 
is also right? Ultraism is no more proper in regard 
to the duty of direct preaching than in anything else. 

The East India Company supports several colleges 
for the education of the natives. Until recently the 
teachers in these colleges were forbidden to teach 
Christianity. Now there is guarded liberty to use 
the Bible in the instruction of pupils who do not ob- 
ject to it. The influence of these schools is in favour 
of the demolition of the native superstitions, and is so 
far good. The government has also determined to 
aid private and missionary schools under certain con- 
ditions. These improvements in the efforts of the 
government to promote sound education must be attri- 
buted, in some measure, to the influence of missions. 
The mission schools have triumphantly shown that 
there is no danger resulting from teaching the Scrip- 
tures, and also that schools will not be deserted 
because of their introduction. These schools, the 
railroads and telegraphs, and other influences that are 
brought to bear on India, give hope that some great 
changes are impending; and the Church ought to 



IN NORTH INDIA. 251 

seize her full share of the influence to be exerted, and 
hold herself in readiness to use every future oppor- 
tunity. 

It would not be right to close this part of my work 
without making a plea for the country in which I 
have so long lived and laboured ; and if it were not 
appropriate, still my feelings would impel me to it. 
We have seen that the people need the gospel ; that 
we have liberty, protection and health to a good de- 
gree while proclaiming it; that the people are acces- 
sible ; that a great part of the preparatory work has 
been done, and a great many influences aid us; and 
that thousands are prepared, so far as knowledge is 
concerned, to be made the subjects of converting 
grace, if the Spirit of God were poured out upon 
them. The word is the instrument of the Spirit. 
That instrument is there present. It does not merely 
lie in books, but also in the minds of thousands of the 
people: they know enough to be wrought upon with- 
out further preparation, or any further miracle than 
is performed in every conversion from sin to holiness. 

If this be true, then the time is come that the 
Church should pray, with more earnestness and fervour 
than ever before, for the outpouring of the Spirit of 
God upon India, and upon all fields similarly white to 
the harvest. This is the great want of the present 
time. Prayer is more restrained than contributions 
or personal effort. There is not enough of either ; 
but Christians seem more ready to give and labour 
than to accompany their gifts with earnest, agonizing 
prayer, that God would follow them with his blessing. 
The formality, the brevity, and the cold tone of 
prayers offered for the heathen, together with the 
small attendance at missionary prayer-meetings, show 
that this is true. Christians lack enlarged thoughts 
and high aspirations in behalf of the cause of Christ. 
They feel less than they ought for either Christ, the 
Church, or for souls. From want of feeling, belief, 



252 MISSIONARY LIFE 

though real, becomes low and uninfluential; and the 
prayer-meeting, which relates to things so little felt 
and appreciated, languishes; the petitions for the 
heathen become everywhere few, and are crowded 
into the end of the prayer, where they ought not to 
be, if Christ arranged the subjects of prayer properly 
when he taught his disciples to pray. The meeting 
thus becomes a burdensome ceremony; and it is no 
wonder that the smallest excuses serve to keep people 
away. So it happens that when Christians are assem- 
bled to pray about our Saviour's very last command, 
and may think that they have a clear right to expect 
the special fulfilment of the promise that accompanies 
it, then it is that He seems least of all present with 
them. This, surely, is not his fault. If our services 
were of the right character, we should not lack his 
presence. If we felt as we ought about the cause of 
Christ, we should be drawn to the place of prayer ; 
we should go to pour out desires that would not be 
restrained; we should seek there the exercise and 
relief of overpowering affections. Then Christ would 
keep his promise to us; and we have no right to it 
otherwise. If we prepare the altar, the wood, and 
the offering, he will be sure to send down the fire 
from heaven. 

Then let us pray that the Holy Spirit may do his 
part of the work of conversion — the indispensable 
and only efficient part — in the hearts of the multi- 
tudes whom we have taught in the cities, in the vil- 
lages and by the wayside, in the schools and by the 
press. The seed lies in their minds. The Holy Spirit 
can cause it to germinate, and send its roots all 
through their hearts. God waits to be gracious: for 
these things he will be inquired of by us, to- do them 
for us. Shall these enlightened heathens die, with 
the unfruitful seed in their hearts, to spring up and 
bring forth the fruit of eternal remorse hereafter, be- 
cause we will not take up a position which God can 



IN NORTH INDIA. 253 

bless consistently with his glory ? It is a dreadful 
thought, that after all that has been done for the hea- 
then, ive should be the occasion of the crowning mercy 
being withheld from them. Let us learn to pray for 
Christ and his kingdom first, before we ask for daily 
bread or any other mercy to ourselves. 

If the Spirit were poured out on our missions in 
answer to prayer, and the intelligence were to come 
over, month after month, of souls pressing into the 
kingdom, what an impulse would be given to all that 
is good here ! How faith would be strengthened, and 
love and zeal warmed, and efforts redoubled, and a 
blessed revival be secured even here, that would 
fully show that "he that watereth, shall himself be 
watered." 



22 



254 MISSIONARY LIFE 



CONCLUSION. 



There are many other topics which a book on India 
might embrace, but the object proposed in the writing 
of this work does not necessarily include them. Many 
readers may have expected to see more on two sub- 
jects; that is, on the nature and doctrines of Hindu- 
ism, and on the character of the Hindus. The first 
of these topics has not been treated of, in a formal 
manner, chiefly because other works are accessible, 
which give a sufficient idea of it. And if any reader 
has not access to such works, he may learn from the 
incidental statements of this, a great many of its 
practices and much of its spirit. Further, a particu- 
lar description if its deities, its rites, and its sects, 
could not be brought into the compass of a book 
smaller than this. Less would tell scarcely more 
than may be gathered from what is already in this 
volume. And, after all, the great thing that Chris- 
tians need to know in this case, is the mournful fact, 
that there are thirty-five millions of people, within the 
field of our North India mission, who are following 
idols and Mohammed, and are under the influence of 
systems that lead them as directly and completely 
away from God as the arch-enemy of mankind could 
desire. Although they are, after a certain manner, 
a civilized people, yet they are as far from the truth as 
fetichism carries the people of Africa. This ought to 
be enough to excite the pity of all Christians ; and if 
it will not do so in some cases, neither would the 
most detailed statement of Hindu doctrines do so. 
The character of the people of North India, also, may 
be sufficiently gathered from this work, without a for- 
mal dissertation on the subject. There is only one 



IN NORTH INDIA. 255 

essential matter that, on review, appears to the writer 
to have been neglected, which it is necessary to his 
design to add. 

The races that inhabit North India are the chief 
races of India in every point of view. It is the home 
of the Brahman, the Rajput, the Sikh, and the most 
valuable classes of the lower castes of Hindus. 

All history shows that this part of India has always 
been its head and heart. Here were the great king- 
doms of the Hindus. From this place went out the 
influences that formed all the systems of Central and 
Southern India. If those systems differ now from 
those of the north, it is only where the effeminacy of 
the south has operated to make Hinduism more lasci- 
vious and ferocious. The Rome of Hinduism is in 
the north — Benares. The great bathing places are 
all in the north — Allahabad, Hardwar, and the source 
of the Ganges. The holy land of Hinduism is in the 
north — the region about Mutthra. The chief and 
holiest Brahmans, the head of the Kulins of Bengal, 
are in the north — the Kanauj Brahmans. Musal- 
man Empire had its strength in the north, and from 
thence reached forth its long and strong arms all over 
the peninsula. The English army of Bengal is wholly 
recruited from the north — no soldiers are raised in 
Bengal proper. One who travels from Calcutta to 
the northwest will notice, after reaching Patna, that 
every day's march brings him amongst men of greater 
physical and mental vigour and stamina, and of 
more and more independence and manliness. 

How immeasurably important then, is it that this 
part of the Indian field should be diligently and abun- 
dantly cultivated. If this were Christian, the Hin- 
duism of other portions would have no standing- 
ground. Influences of a right kind would go forth 
from the region, which all the rest of India has 
always been accustomed to follow. And we stand, 



256 MISSIONARY LIFE IN NORTH INDIA. 

as it were, at the very foot of the roads that lead into 
western China, Thibet, Afghanistan and all the coun- 
tries of central Asia. If North India were Christian, 
what influences would spread from it, literally radiat- 
ing over the darkest and most hopeless portions of 
Asia ! When a Christian is acquainted with history, 
understands the position and character of North 
India, and spreads out the map of Asia before him, 
so that he can see what grand movements our mis- 
sion may be initiating, it is enough to fire his soul 
with courage, perseverance and zeal. 



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